Aubertine
Dairy Farmers Are Vital to Economic, Food Security
Every year we celebrate June as dairy month. Milk is an important part of a healthy diet and a healthy dairy industry goes a long way toward fostering a strong state economy.
Politics
Aubertine
Remembering Those Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice
Memorial Day is an important holiday with a nearly 150 year history here in New York State. It is a time to pause and reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made by so many brave men and women in defense of our way of life. This loss of life should never be forgotten and our thoughts and prayers for our Soldiers should not be limited to just one day.
Assembly Will Barclay
Motorists Reminded to Use Caution Near Buggies, Slow-Moving Vehicles
State and local police officers, particularly in the northern portions of Oswego County, are urging motorists to be aware of horse-drawn buggies. In recent years, more Amish families have moved to our region and are on the roadways.
Assembly Will Barclay
We Deserve Better; Let’s Pass a Budget Already
Because of the lack of respect our leaders have for the law—passing a budget on time—and the lack of true leadership, our communities lost parks, state workers were forced into furloughs, and the Democratic majority staged a “sit-in†at the Governor’s office and played ‘he said, she said’ in the media. As I said, we deserve better.
Aubertine
Amid Albany Frustrations, Agriculture Is Getting Renewed Attention
With all that is frustrating in Albany right now—the budget deadlock, the lack of an Assembly companion to Power for Jobs legislation, the reintroduction of the farm labor bill—there has been good news. The Senate has passed more legislation to benefit agriculture than any year in recent memory.
Assembly Will Barclay
Let’s Maintain Our Constitutional Right to Bear Arms
It is well known that New York state already has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Nevertheless, each year the Assembly Democratic majority puts forth a legislative gun package which contains bills that would place additional burdens on legal New York gun owners.
Aubertine
Power for Jobs Moving Forward, Budget Frustration Continues
For more than a decade now, the state’s Power for Jobs program and other similar programs have helped to preserve hundreds of thousands of jobs statewide by providing low-cost power to businesses and not-for-profit employers.
Aubertine
Once-Rare Events Show Progress of Reform
Last week, in this column, I discussed the previous week’s action by the Senate Agriculture Committee in support of farm workers, farmers and consumers through a bipartisan vote to kill the bill in committee. This is one sign that changes I pushed for and helped enact last year have begun to restore the people’s voice in state government.
Assembly Will Barclay
Knowing Signs of a Stroke Could Save Loved Ones
May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Learning the signs of stroke and calling 911 for help are the best ways to prevent disability and death from stroke.
Assembly Will Barclay
Reforming School Aid Formula Would Even Playing Field for Districts
More state aid should be driven to low-wealth districts than high-wealth districts. Many of the school districts in my Assembly district are low-wealth school districts and therefore are heavily reliant on state aid. When state aid is cut, they feel the cut more acutely than high wealth school districts because of their high dependency on state aid.