Stephen Reader

When it comes to divvying up tax revenue, states with richer citizens end up footing the bill for those with lower per capita income.

The president's job performance rating fell to a new low among New Yorkers in August, according to a recent Siena Poll. But the survey also showed that New Yorkers would still elect Barack Obama over any Republican hopeful.

George W. Bush successfully made the move from Texas Governor to U.S. president. Can the man who took his place in the Lone Star State follow suit? 

Connecting [Michele Bachmann's] ideas very specifically with the jobs crisis hasn't been her strong suit so far; that's something she'll have to demonstrate in the very near future, o...

Newly released Census data makes it possible for New York's prisoners to be counted at their home address rather than their jail cell. But internal divisions in the state redistricting committee and a lingering lawsuit leave the reapportionment process in doubt.

Public employees in New York and Connecticut have rejected their union contracts — which were expected to be major sources of savings in the budgets presented by governors Andrew Cuomo and Dan Malloy. As each governor threatened layoffs this week, public sector unions urged them to extend negotiations.

We've already had an austerity program given to us by Wall Street when it destroyed the economy in 2008; to add a public sector austerity program is the height of foolishness. — Van ...

There could be savings or revenues raised by cutting Social Security benefits, but if on the other side you don't see tax cuts eliminated for the wealthy, it'll be viewed as cutting b...

Twitter is a medium that rewards the short and grabby. It's supposed to take important people out from behind their publicists and PR cabals and give average people a direct line into...

[Redistricting reform] has to be passed by another session of the legislature, then go to a public referendum. It's essentially pushing it off until the next Census, giving Senate Rep...

Tea Partiers—and to some extent conventional Republicans—exploited this anger by turning the health care plan into another symbol of the big guy screwing you. If Obama had addressed t...

Yes America, there is more than one Republican presidential candidate who plays rock music. If you miss Mike Huckabee (and the idea of the leader of the free world performing "Cat Scratch Fever"), Thaddeus McCotter could be your man.

They'll need more inspectors, more cops on the ground to make sure drilling companies are complying with permit conditions and whatever regulations are put on the books. In our view, ...

This was a pretty smart one; he hasn't disrupted things too much. Even the school cuts, probably the biggest ones of the budget, were already struck for the fall, and their tax bills ...

New York Democrats are lining up to fill Anthony Weiner's seat in the 9th District special election, which is scheduled to take place later this year. But there's more for party bosses to consider than just who makes the strongest candidate.

Are you in love? Do you also have $40? Congratulations! You can get married, and it no longer matters whether you and your partner are the same sex. Here's how.

On Friday evening New York became the sixth state to approve same-sex marriage — an historic victory for gay rights advocates and bitter defeat for the bill's opponents that came during an overtime legislative session in Albany.

Representatives Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced a bill Thursday that would end federal prohibition of marijuana production, distribution and possession.

New York is on the verge of becoming the sixth state to legalize gay marriage — and the third to do so through legislation rather than litigation. But that's just one battle for pro-gay activists. In every other state to pass same-sex marriage, legalization has put opponents back on offense in courts and statehouses, with mixed results.

It's not over with yet, it's a very fluid situation. But clearly, to effectively implement a tax cap without destroying community college participation, or long term home health car...