Sound Shore

Good Monday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content published over the weekend:

Saturday, July 23
We published a pair of commentary pieces that probed whether or not the federal Enviornmental Protection Agency should enact a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, the controversial practice used for extracting natural gas from bedrock. In New York, where drillers would like to extract gas from Marcellus shale deposits, the state Department of Environmental Conservation continues its review of the practice.
Fracking’s harm to the environment is overstated, Andrew P. Morriss, professor of business at the University of Alabama
Fracking’s ills are known, real, Arnold J. Mann, author of “They’re Poisoning Us! From the Gulf War to the Gulf of Mexico, An Investigative Report.”

Sunday, July 24
Gay marriage: Editorial
We herald the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York. We write:

… New York’s giant step toward equality, though, is hamstrung by federal regulations that still restrict the rights of people based on their sexual orientation. Change, though, is coming.

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It’s Friday and it’s a scorcher. We hope you’re staying cool. Here’s a quick glance at opinion content published today:

Leiby Kletky: Editorial
We comment on news that Leiby Kletzky, the 8-year-old Borough Park, Brooklyn boy who was killed last week, was in Rockland County after he was allegedly kidnapped by Levi Aron. Aron, charged in Kletzky’s killing, apparently brought Kletzky to a New Square wedding celebration and is also suspected of drugging the child.

Debt-ceiling debate: Commentary
Marilyn Pinksy, head of the New York state AARP, argues that neither Medicare nor Social Security should be used as bargaining chips in the ongoing negotiations on raising the federal debt ceiling.

It’s Thursday. We’re inching closer to the long holiday weekend. Here’s a glance at opinion content published today:

Greg Ball and gay marriage: Editorial
We comment on the political mechanics and arm-twisting that led to the state Senate’s 33-29 vote to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. In particular, we assess state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson, who, as The New York Times reported, sought campaigning assistance from high-profile Republican conservatives, including former Vice President Dick Cheney. We write:

… Ball explained himself in an email, the blog reported: “As far as Cheney, we suggested the need to have nationally prominent conservatives ready to support moderate Republicans willing to support either civil unions or marriage equality, in tough primaries. Hopefully they listened, because some of these voting yes are going to have a tough re-election fight.”

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Good Tuesday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content published today in The Journal News:

Andrew Cuomo: Editorial
We congratulate Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his success in realizing the legalization of same-sex marriage, a property-tax cap, ethics reform and more in the just-concluded legislative session. New Yorkers, we argue, deserved a bit of functional government. Still, there’s plenty left for Albany to tackle. We write:

… The weary voters, discouraged by a succession of failed governors and corrupt elected officials, won a new ethics law; it requires, for the first time, disclosure of legislators’ outside business interests, and calls for greater oversight of both the Legislature and the executive branch. Cuomo threatened legislators with a host of official inquiries if they failed to approve a new ethics law. What they delivered won’t address all of the ethical shortcomings that confound Albany politics, but it is better than what was on the books.

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Good Monday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content that published in The Journal News this past weekend:

Saturday, June 25
Rockland flooding: Editorial
We comment on the flooding that swamped large swaths of the Lower Hudson Valley on Saturday. We write:

… We’ve known for a decade or more that only major mitigation work is going to make a difference along the Hackensack and the Ramapo rivers. Both are multimillion-dollar projects that have been put off and delayed only to be postponed and delayed again. The result: Places like West Nyack and Suffern brace for the worst whenever there’s a sustained storm or even a really heavy passing thunderstorm.

(more…)

It’s Thursday. Tonight, the Rockland Boulders host their first home opener at Provident Bank Park in Ramapo. We’re also continuing to keep track of events in Albany, where’s the legislative sessions’s clock continues to tick.

Provident Bank Park: Editorial
While we acknowledge that there were significant problems with the way Provident Bank Park came into being, we encourage Lower Hudson Valley residents to support its Rockland Boulders. “Wishing — and advocating — for the stadium project’s doom works against the public’s interest,” we write. We continue:

Indeed, many legitimate questions linger about Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence’s quest to build the 4,500-seat home for the Boulders, the newest Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball League team.

Not the least of those is, will the public’s needs be served by this $38-million-and-counting investment?

Good Tuesday morning. As the Legislature races to the end of its session — our representatives in Albany complete their business on June 20 — the Opinion page offers an editorial on texting and a Community View on same-sex marriage:

Texting while driving: Editorial
We challenge the Legislature to take up legislation proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that would make texting while driving a primary offense. We write:

When Albany enacted the current milquetoast legislation, local key-tapping drivers actually got a break. Westchester and Rockland had already banned the dangerous distraction, but because state law supersedes, local drivers could only be cited for texting while driving if they were stopped for some other roadway misbehavior.

For Lower Hudson Valley drivers, going backward would be progress.

Too many drivers peek at a tweet or “Like” a buddy’s Facebook post as they negotiate our shared roads.

Albany needs to make it easier to hit them in the pocketbook before they hit someone else’s car.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and leaders of the state Legislature have reached accord on the creation of an annual, 2-percent cap on property taxes and on legislation that would reform state ethics laws. Neither compromise has been adopted and other policy items remain on the table. What’s your priority for Albany? Cast your vote below:

Good Tuesday morning. Here’s a glance at opinion content published over the holiday weekend in The Journal News:

Saturday, May 28
Westchester County government: Commentary
May Krukiel and Carlla Horton of the Westchester Women’s Agenda are strongly critical of County Executive Rob Astorino’s proposal to merge the county’s Office for Women with the Youth Bureau in a Community View.

Sunday, May 29
Marriage equality: Editorial
We call on the Legislature to make marriage equality a reality in New York. Such an effort failed in the state Senate in 2009 — we conclude public opinion merits is success in 2011. We write:

… Proponents of same-sex marriage are hoping for better in 2011, inasmuch as public opinion, along with the political and legal landscape, have changed since lawmakers last considered the issue. Public support for gay marriage in New York has shown a steady creep in the direction of fairness: a recent Siena Poll had proponents leading opponents, 58 percent to 36 percent; supporters led 56 percent to 37 percent in a recent Quinnipiac Poll. About the time the Senate came up short two years ago, the margin was 51 percent to 42 percent favoring gay marriage, according to a Marist survey.

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Good Friday afternoon. Here’s a glance at opinion content published today in The Journal News:

Rob Astorino’s appointees: Editorial
We comment on a special report from staff writer Gerald McKinstry that documented raises and promotions given by the administration of Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino to supporters who are county employees. We write:

This week’s report on the big-dollar pay boosts to Westchester County government staff will not surprise taxpayers who are mindful of the real world: the political spoils system lives on, notwithstanding the recession and sky-high property taxes. Who gets what, and how much, though, might stick in the craw of taxpayers who have been rooting for Rob Astorino, who was elected on a platform of thrift and frugality, and continues to sound those themes. He hasn’t exactly slain the political-payout monster either, despite making significant gains in downsizing the government. …