Blair Horner

Now that leaf blowers are being stored for the season, snow blowers are getting cranked up. Though windows will be closed and most of us will be sheltering inside, the pollution caused by gas powered landscaping equipment of all kinds – including snow blowers – was the subject of debate last week.

It all started innocently enough: When we asked where our stored electronic information went, we were told “the cloud. ”Sounds nice. Information stored in a puffy white setting.

New York spends billions of dollars on programs to spur economic activities. Yet the spending is hard to track because there is no standard definition of economic-development spending.

We all are familiar with New York’s Bottle Bill. That’s the law that requires a nickel deposit on some beverage containers – soda, beer, and water. It’s been on the books for over 40 years.

The big news last week was the election results. By and large, it was a good election day for Democrats across the nation. Here in New York, Democrats won in many parts of the state. For example, Democrats picked up control of the Onondaga County Legislature, a feat that they have not accomplished in almost half a century.

A new report from the State Comptroller found that severe weather events in the state are more frequent and that these storms require New York taxpayers to shoulder a growing financial burden.

The federal government’s slashing of domestic spending (while boosting tax cuts for the wealthy) has put states’ budgets at risk.The impact on New York’s budget is unquestionably significant.

While Election Day is still a couple of weeks away, voting has started here in New York. Over recent years, New York has taken steps to make it easier to vote. After all, under the state’s Constitution, citizens have a right to vote.

New York State has consistently blocked the construction of new pipelines to allow for the transportation of gas. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has rejected new gas pipeline construction on the grounds that it would harm water quality.

When it comes to government services, generally speaking there are two major categories: “rights” and “benefits.