Recent editorials of statewide and national interest from New York’s newspapers:
The Poughkeepsie Journal on making changes to improve the transparency of Gov. Cuomo’s Start-Up NY initiative.
Feb. 3
With a brand that has been battered and bruised, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has decided to rename and retool one of its most important job-creation initiatives.
Adios “Start-Up NY,” hello “Excelsior Business Program.”
A skunk by any other name, critics undoubtedly would reply, and no wonder. Start-Up NY has had dreadful results. A promising program to provide tax breaks to businesses opening near education centers has sputtered. The state surely has every good reason to make changes but, in doing so, it must not abandon important public disclosure rules in the process.
In the first few years, the state spent more than $50 million promoting this initiative and other ideas to bolster New York’s image but has only about 400 jobs to show for it. Granted, other projects are in the pipeline, but obviously the governor and state taxpayers were expecting a much bigger, and better, bang for their buck.
Conceptually, the state’s strategy is intriguing and defensible. The program is aimed at capitalizing on one of the strengths of upstate New York in particular - its colleges. Recognizing that so many graduates bolt from New York, the state is trying to entice them to stay by offering long-term tax breaks to fuel start-up companies. Specifically, taxes are eliminated on businesses for 10 years if they relocate to specified zones near education centers. And Empire State Development — the state’s economic-development arm that manages the initiative - continues to maintain the program is doing much better than it seems. Officials there point out the tax incentives only go to companies demonstrating they have created jobs. Earlier programs would often “front-load” such deals, giving companies tax breaks even if they didn’t ultimately create the promised employment.
Empire State Development officials also say more than 200 companies have enrolled in the program, but it takes time to net results. Nevertheless, the fact that the state is changing the name and focus of the program is clear evidence that grave problems exist.
The state says it will streamline the process for applying for benefits and put an emphasis on giving incentives to new and smaller companies. The initiative will be paired with the Excelsior Jobs Program, which provides tax breaks to expanding companies that create jobs.
That’s all well and good, but the changes also could dramatically scale back the information the administration is required to report in connection with the program. It must be clear that all pertinent information - including the names and addresses of the businesses located in a tax-free area, the number of applicants, the number of jobs created and benefits provided, etc. - be available to the public. The Empire State Development Corp. shouldn’t be given too much latitude to decide what information ultimately gets posted in an annual report on its website.
Start-Up NY has had a host of transparency problems, and the state should be improving those aspects of this jobs strategy, not making it worse. Public distrust of the program is definitely going to continue. The state needs better results and, whatever the outcome, must be prepared to share the outcome with those footing the bill.
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Online:
https://pojonews.co/2lhtERo
The (Plattsburgh) Press Republican on a provision of Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget that shows cause for concern.
Feb. 5
Gov. Cuomo’s proposed budget has a provision in it that is troubling for newspapers and ? more important ? should be even more troubling for the public.
Currently, if a state or local agency is planning on construction work of at least $1.2 million, it has to be bid, and notices of the solicitation of bids are required to be advertised in newspapers covering the areas likely to be home to potential bidders.
That way, all potential bidders have an easy, reliable way to find out what kinds of projects they may be interested in competing for and the public has ready access to information on what projects are coming up in their communities.
It offers public oversight of what the government is doing and how it is spending taxpayer money.
Cuomo says taxpayer money will be saved by eliminating the need for advertising.
But, with his plan, the Governor’s Office would sidestep oversight of contracts by the State Comptroller’s Office. As business is transacted now, the comptroller reviews all contracts before and after the work is done to determine whether best practices have been implemented throughout.
By eliminating this process, accountability is left strictly in the hands of the Governor’s Office.
In this era of rampant corruption in state government, leaving money matters strictly in the hands of any one entity, no matter who it is, is risky and contrary to the public’s best interests.
“What is clear is that the governor’s budget proposal, taken as a whole, grants his administration virtually unconstrained authority over public works projects and could exclude from public works local contractors who are not on an administration list of preferred bidders for public works contracts,” the New York News Publishers Association said.
The governor’s new procedure for awarding contracts would apply to all state agencies and authorities, local governments outside New York City (which has its own oversight methods), prisons, the State University of New York, City University of New York and their affiliates and subsidiaries.
This new procedure is indisputably at odds with the idea of public oversight of public projects and public spending.
Citizens can now read newspaper classified ads in print and online and know what work state agencies are doing in their areas and, thus, how their money is being spent.
Cuomo’s plan complicates things for prospective contractors, who would then have many sources for possible work to stay on top of instead of just one.
And let’s not fail to address the harm it will do to newspapers. Such classified-advertising notices are a significant source of revenue for any newspaper designated as the “official” paper of a specific area. Newspapers are businesses, too, and their economic stability is as important as that of any other community enterprise.
But it is not the financial health of newspapers that most troubles us. It is the ethical health of the state of New York.
We stand against the governor’s proposal because it opens the door for unaccounted-for dealings in an arena where such opportunities have frequently been exploited.
Let your state representatives know that this maneuver by the governor interferes with the public’s financial oversight and easy access to information.
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Online:
https://bit.ly/2jUUUTM
The (Gloversville) Leader-Herald in support of moving forward with construction on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.
Feb. 6
Among the headlines President Donald Trump made during his first week was one citing his executive order to clear obstacles standing in the way of the proposed Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.
That is a good start, many may have reacted. Now, let’s move on to accelerating federal action on natural gas pipelines important to the country.
Former President Barack Obama held up the Keystone XL pipeline for much of his term in office, citing environmental concerns. That was despite the fact his own State Department investigated and concluded there were no environmental concerns about the pipeline, intended to bring Canadian oil to the United States.
Obama’s action on the Dakota Access pipeline was more egregious. The oil transportation line already was under construction when, late in his presidency, Obama chose to shut work down solely because of protests against the project.
Good for Trump for ordering federal officials to stand aside and allow construction of both pipelines. They will be better for the environment than other methods of transporting oil, not to mention safer.
During the Obama administration, federal officials consistently “slow walked” permitting and other actions needed to clear the way for construction of pipelines to carry gas produced here to processing facilities and overseas shipping terminals. As a result, a substantial amount of gas in our country has been locked up.
A gas company official put it this way: “Ours is an industry on a leash.”
Of course, considerations of safety, preservation of valuable natural areas and other environmental concerns should not be dismissed. No one has asked the federal government do that.
But the Obama administration’s policy of hampering any fossil fuel initiatives it could not kill needs to end. If Trump’s order on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines does not make that clear to federal agencies, the president should pick up his phone or his pen and reinforce his intentions.
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Online:
https://bit.ly/2jVd50z
The (Jamestown) Post-Journal on improved vetting practices increasing border security.
Feb. 5
President Donald Trump’s order banning travel to this country by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries certainly could have benefited from more planning. For example, denying re-entry to travelers who resided here, then left the United States intending to return within days or weeks may not have been wise.
But Trump’s rationale makes enormous sense. Overlooked, perhaps intentionally, by critics of his order is the fact that the seven affected countries are hotbeds of terrorist activity. They are Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. For years, efforts to ensure would-be terrorists from those nations do not infiltrate our country have been lacking.
Improving the “vetting” process during Trump’s temporary suspension is important and should improve homeland security.
The sooner that can be done - and harmless travelers from the affected countries can be welcomed - the better.
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Online:
https://bit.ly/2lhrssV
The New York Times on President Trump’s impact on the symbolic Doomsday Clock.
Feb. 5
Scientists who study the risk of nuclear war recently moved the hands of the symbolic Doomsday Clock to 2½ minutes before midnight - meaning they believe that the world is closer to nuclear catastrophe than it has been since 1953 after the United States and Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the clock in 1947, says that President Trump is the main reason for this worrisome development.
Mr. Trump came to office with little knowledge of the vast nuclear arsenal and the missiles, bombers and submarines it contains. He has spoken, alarmingly, about deploying this weaponry against terrorists and about expanding America’s nuclear capabilities. He has said he values unpredictability, meaning presumably that he wants to keep other nations on edge about whether he will use nuclear weapons.
“Let it be an arms race,” he told a television interviewer in December. During a debate three months earlier he contradicted himself, saying that “I would certainly not do first strike,” then adding, “I can’t take anything off the table.” What’s worrisome about all this is that it is the opposite of what Republican and Democratic presidents have long sought, which is to ensure that these weapons are not used precipitously if at all.
It is the fear of such precipitous action that has led Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Representative Ted Lieu of California, both Democrats, to propose legislation to prohibit any president from launching a first-strike nuclear weapon without a declaration of war from Congress.
The bill would not undercut Mr. Trump’s ability to respond on his own authority to a nuclear attack, an authority all presidents have had and should have. It has support from leading arms control advocates, including former Defense Secretary William Perry. And while it won’t go anywhere in this Republican-led Congress, it sends a clear message to Mr. Trump that he should not be the first since World War II to use nuclear weapons. Mr. Trump could more usefully deploy his energies engaging with Russia to further reduce both countries’ nuclear arsenals, maintaining the Iran nuclear deal and finding new ways to curb North Korea’s nuclear program.
A Pentagon advisory board recently proposed that the United States consider building more lower-yield nuclear weapons to provide an option for “limited use” in a regional conflict. The only legitimate role for nuclear weapons is deterrence. The absurd notion of a “limited” nuclear war, which could make it easier for a president to use lower-yield weapons, needs to be rejected. The country has enough advanced conventional weapons to defend against most threats.
Mr. Trump commands about 4,000 weapons that he alone is empowered to launch. Any decision responding to an attack would have to be made quickly. That kind of life-or-death choice would test any leader, even those well-schooled in arcane nuclear doctrine, the intricacies of power politics and the importance of not letting tensions get to the point where a nuclear exchange becomes likely. But none of Mr. Trump’s closest advisers are known to be nuclear experts, the president has yet to put together a nuclear strategy and, as the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board warned last month, Mr. Trump “has shown a troubling propensity to discount or outright reject expert advice.”
With Mr. Trump, sound decision-making may be an even greater challenge, given his disruptive, impulsive style. There is also the fact that he has assumed office at a particularly unstable time, with the Middle East in turmoil and Russia and China acting more aggressively. This is a time for restraint and careful deliberation, and for leaders who clearly understand that nuclear weapons are too dangerous to be brandished as a cudgel.
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Online:
https://nyti.ms/2kAl7Jf
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