Commentary & Opinion

United University Professions abhors racism and hate speech in all its forms, and this union will always stand up to and fight efforts by any individual or group that embraces and propagates these vile beliefs.

The American design was not of a generous government that gave citizens rights, but of a people who held freedom by their very nature and mutually agreed to allow the government to regulate in limited capacities.

Arguments about what should be in articles of impeachment divert our attention from the main point. Donald’s phone call with the new president of Ukraine should have made clear to all of us that the president is disloyal to America, willing to sell our security for a foreign leader’s press conference to make Donald look like a wizard instead of a duck. If we can’t trust the patriotism of the president, we can’t trust him to get anything right – except by accident.

North Korea announced that the United States may well receive an unwelcome “Christmas gift”.  POTUS seems unphased, although he is struggling through a NATO meeting where he is criticizing French President Macron for stating that NATO is braindead, when he, in fact, has frequently questioned the value of the alliance.  Then, POTUS abruptly left when other leaders made fun of him in what they thought were private conversations- really!

On May 23, 2017, I delivered a commentary in which I tried to argue that attempting to impeach Trump was a waste of time --- and potentially would do more harm than good.

Mark Zuckerberg has not been willing to take responsibility for the lies distributed on Facebook. And by now everybody but Donald is aware that social media are the major repositories of fake news. And that’s not an accident.

New York looks like it will have some form of a voluntary system for publicly financing state government elections. Unfortunately, far too much of the program is unnecessarily complicated and untested.  In addition, while the commission lowers New York State’s ridiculously high campaign contribution limits, it still allows donations far in excess of those allowed for runs for federal office, including the President.  Lastly, the commission has advanced new schemes to make it harder for minor political parties to operate.

We celebrated Thanksgiving this past week.  I hope it was joyous, filling and crammed with family and friends. 

For decades, leaders of the judiciary, bar associations and good government groups have highlighted the need to modernize New York’s court system.

The White House orders members of the govenment not to testify and refuses to produce documents requested by House committees. It stonewalls subpoenas or turns to the courts, which could delay proceedings well past the 2020 elections. Is the possibility of impeachment stymied?

One of the most important things unions do for their members is fight to protect and preserve their professions.  As educators that also means fighting to protect the people we serve — the students we help to inspire, motivate and nurture every day.

Thanksgiving is the kick off of the holiday shopping season.  It’s a time when many adults look for gifts for children.  And while the holidays are a time for fun and giving, it is important that it gift givers keep safety in mind when shopping for kids.

It has been reported that a 5-year old brought cocaine to class, saying it makes him feel like Spiderman. His father was arrested which is not really a surprise. Unfortunately, parental irresponsibility has existed since the beginning of time. It was wooly mammoth’s endangering children, and now its drugs. Ah, the human condition.

We’re in the middle of a campaign about whether Democrats should nominate a centrist and reject people like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who understand who and what is hurting most people in America – citizens, middle class and struggling, guests, refugees, union members, farmers, and consumers – most of us. Elizabeth and Bernie are the reasonable ones while most others avert their eyes or hold their noses. Three cheers for reasonable, straight talking, clear-eyed candidates.

Antibiotics save lives and are critical tools for treating a number of common and more serious infections, like those that can lead to sepsis. However, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 30% of the antibiotics in U.S. outpatient settings are prescribed unnecessarily. Any time antibiotics are used, they can lead to antibiotic resistance, a growing and urgent threat to the public’s health.

Over this past weekend, Senator Graham announced that he was not going to read the released transcripts, although he had complained bitterly about them not being released previously, and that he had made up his mind.  Senator Kennedy from Louisiana, in contrast, indicated that if the allegations against Mr. Trump were true with regard to the Ukraine, then they may well reach the level of an impeachable offense.  Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin also vehemently defended the President, and seemed to indicate that his mind was made up, as well.  Republicans are now focusing on the legal aspects of this matter, saying that what the President has done is not a crime, just improper, and thus, not impeachable.  If we are going to go by a strict interpretation of the law, then all those Republican Senators who will act as jurors and have made up their minds, must recuse themselves.  Or maybe those rules don’t apply. 

We all have instincts for self-preservation that we sharpen over the course of our lives. Yet how do we avoid turning those same sharpened instincts into weapons that we use on ourselves and each other, so that we all don’t get badly injured in the process? Specifically, in our conflicts with others, when, if ever, and how, if at all, should we step outside our zones of safety and suspicion, to take the risk of relating to our (perceived or real) enemies -the “others” – as sisters and brothers?

People love to give.

There are religious, cultural, and economic imperatives to give. And, it feels good.

The U.S. was the world’s most powerful country when Trump took office. Though we couldn’t control everything, we influenced outcomes all over the world. 

A month ago, the Food Pantries for the Capital District gave me the Sister Mary Coons award, acknowledging my efforts running the food pantry at Unity House. At the gala, I spoke about the wonderful permission I felt as an employee, and the myth that low income people don't want healthy food. This was a party and I kept my comments brief, knowing I could expand elsewhere.

New York State’s campaign financing system has been notorious – sky-high contributions that allow the wealthy and powerful to legally donate over $100,000; ineffective enforcement; loopholes galore and inadequate disclosures.  The result?  Scandals.  Most recently the convictions of big donors and top-ranking state officials in an incredible scheme that rigged government contracts for big campaign donors.

POTUS was booed at a UFC event over the past weekend (Ultimate Fighting Champion) and one political scientist making the comparison that Trump being booed at a UFC event was comparable to Bernie being booed at a vegan deli in Brooklyn. This follows on Mr. Trump being booed at game 5 of the World Series games. It should be noted that at the World Series game and the UFC event there were both boos and cheers. One would expect a more mixed crowd at the World Series game, than one might expect at the UFC event.