It’s hard to believe, that in many places across the county, many women are still being paid less than their male counterparts for the same work. In fact, repeated studies have shown that despite a 50-year-old federal law aimed at prohibiting paycheck discrimination, women continue to earn just 78 cents for every dollar paid to men doing the exact same job.
The Oswego County Child Advocacy Center recently held its annual meeting. One of the best takeaways from the event was learning from the executive director Karrie Damm that the annual meeting has grown over the last three years from an intimate gathering to a packed dining hall. About 150 people from throughout the area attended the event appropriately titled “Be the End” on April 24. This was great news in it of itself that so many individuals, professionals, and organizations have committed to Be the End.
As we’ve seen on the news and in the media, these substances, which are sold as alternatives to cocaine, heroin, marijuana and other illegal drugs, have the power to cause such side effects as hallucinations, kidney failure, extreme paranoia, violent behavior and even death.
I am teaming up with the American Red Cross and the Rural Health Network of Oswego County to host a blood drive on May 1 in Oswego. The blood drive will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oswego Elks Lodge, 132 W. Fifth St. If you are able to donate, please call my office at 315-598-5185 to make an appointment. We are encouraging everyone who is able to donate. You never know whose life you can help save. In anticipation of our upcoming blood drive, I want to share some facts about blood donation.
Visit any library throughout Central and Northern New York, and you’ll see things have changed. Today, our libraries are so much more than books. They’re offering, and doing, so much more for those who utilize them, and continuing to evolve to keep up with the demands of today’s consumers.
There are a lot of things to be positive about in Central New York. Unfortunately, the economy is not one of them. Over the last decade, job growth in the Syracuse area has been anemic. The lack of jobs, among other things, has caused an outward migration of population which, in turn, places additional stress on our economy. We are not alone.
Fresh air, clean water and unpolluted land. These are things that often times, we take for granted. Keeping the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we live on free from pollution is a team effort, and on Earth Day, we celebrate our planet and make an extra push to keep it clean, as well as preserve it for future generations.
Because I am not an expert on the ethics laws of other states and because neither the governor nor the legislature has held public hearings regarding what needs to be done to strengthen the state’s ethics laws, it is hard to opine as to the veracity of the Governor’s statement. I am skeptical of the claim however in light of the fact that we have passed “landmark” ethics reform in the recent past and yet ethical lapses by elected officials continue to occur.
For the past several months, my colleagues and I have been working to deliver a new State Budget that creates more and better opportunities for all New Yorkers. The result, is a plan, just approved last week, that holds spending growth below two percent, provides new tax relief for hardworking families, includes record funding for agriculture and makes major, much-needed investments in education, job creation and efforts to strengthen our economy.
At approximately 3 a.m. on April 1, the New York State Assembly passed the last of 12 bills that make up New York’s 2015-16 budget. The state Senate had passed the legislation about four hours earlier. While technically not on time (pursuant to our state constitution, the budget is required to be completed before April 1) for all practical purposes, New York has its fifth timely budget.
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