Copyright 2011 The New York Sun Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:49:20 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Henry Stern :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Henry+Stern admin@nysun.net (Seth Lipsky) webmaster@nysun.com en-us HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/how-hugh-carey-became-a-proconsul-for-the-city/87448/ Tue, 9 Aug 2011 11:05:40 EST The obituaries for Governor Carey stress a major achievement, bringing fiscal responsibility to New York City government after the financial crisis of 1974 and 1975. Here are some facts about the situation at that time and Governor Carey’s critical role. Mayor Koch, who knew Carey since they served in Congress 30 years ago, has written about Carey’s achievements. Click here to read his commentary. This article is a worm's eye view of the fiscal crisis and political events that surrounded and... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/the-first-call-bloombergs-new-schools-chief-needs/87293/ Thu, 7 Apr 2011 17:16:29 EST We were surprised today to learn that Mayor Bloomberg dismissed his hand-picked Schools Chancellor, Cathie Black, after 97 infelicitous days as chief of New York City's school system. The mayor did not set a speed record, however, in dismissing a commissioner who did not work out. That distinction falls to Mayor Koch, who took just 74 days to fire Robert J. Milano, whom Mr. Koch had appointed deputy mayor for economic development at the start of his first term in 1978. Milano died in February... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-mayoral-race-has-already-begun/87245/ Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:50:26 EST Politics is usually more about the next election than the last one. So it is not surprising that the Republican candidates for the presidency in 2012 are off and running. The candidates for the New York City mayoralty in 2013 are close behind. Considering political campaigns as conducted on a four-year cycle, we are now in the second lap of the race to succeed Mayor Bloomberg. The winner will become our 109th mayor (the first, listed in the Green Book, was Thomas Willett, in 1665). To go to... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloombergs-opening-gambit-on-need-to-cut-teaching/87242/ Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:42:24 EST  The city budget proposed yesterday is $65.6 billion dollars. That is a $300 million reduction from the current year, almost 0.5% of the total budget, and represents a serious effort to control costs. The most striking part of this year’s budget, covering fiscal year 2012 is the projected reduction in the Department of Education staff by 6,166 teachers. Attrition will account for 1,500 vacancies, leaving 4,666 layoffs are on the table. This is the opening gambit in what will be a four-month... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/how-about-raymond-kelly-for-schools-chancellor/87237/ Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:57:05 EST Twenty years ago, crime was New York City's most serious problem. In the year 1990, the first year of the Dinkins mayoralty, the number of homicides recorded in the five boroughs was 2,245, an historic high. The murder total declined by about 10% during the remaining three years of the Dinkins administration, and fell sharply (about 50%) under the eight years that Giuliani was mayor. It fell slightly during Bloomberg's first eight years, although there was a slight rise in year nine (2010)... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/cuomo-keeps-his-word-and-to-hell-with-puxatawney/87225/ Wed, 2 Feb 2011 22:00:20 EST Governor Cuomo kept his word and presented a state budget of $132.9 billion for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins April l. This figure, believe it or not, is a sharp brake on spending, the first reductions since the Pataki years. He also gave a fine speech Tuesday afternoon, with greatly improved visual aids, to make the state's financial distress evident to anyone willing to see, including the legislature. For eight years, New York Civic has been preaching that state spending is irresponsibly... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bloomberg-is-said-to-have-erred-on-strategy/87206/ Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:45:41 EST Mayor Bloomberg’s proposals to reduce the cost of pensions for city employees are coming under fire today not only from public employee unions, city government ’s perennial adversary in matters of wages and pensions, but from a conservative analyst as well. E.J. McMahon, who writes op-eds for the New York Post and articles for other publications, complains that the mayor’s goals are too modest. He wants New York City to switch from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans. That would... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/astounding-admission-of-reality-is-cuomos-opening/87187/ Thu, 6 Jan 2011 18:24:18 EST Governor Cuomo delivered his first State of the State message yesterday. I watched the speech and found it credible and constructive. Mr. Cuomo seems to be making a conscious effort to get along with the legislature. At the same time, he outlined spending reductions, ethics reforms, independent redistricting, and other proposals that have been anathema to the Senate and Assembly in years past. Politics requires a certain level of optimism, and with a new governor, there is more reason for hope... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/term-limits-petition-drive-will-need-30000/87152/ Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:26:27 EST We promised near the end of yesterday’s lengthy article on the history of term limits for elected officials in New York City that we would wrap it up today, so you can enjoy Thanksgiving untrammeled by thoughts of the Charter and the insiders’ effort to tweak it so they can stay in office four more years. The Charter Revision Commission was intended when it was appointed to offer the public the opportunity to decide the matter by offering the choice of a two-term or three-term limit. The... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/effort-is-launched-to-restore-two-term-limit/87150/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 23:06:08 EST An effort to restore the two-term limit for elected city officials this year was launched yesterday at a news conference on the steps of City Hall. Like some spacecraft, the mission began with seven pioneers: Anthony Perez Cassino, a member of the 2010 Charter Revision Commission; former State Senator Seymour P. Lachman, Director of the Hugh L. Carey Center for Government Reform; former Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro; former New York State Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey; Michael Meyers... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/disillusionment-with-new-york-state-government/87142/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:57:14 EST Every now and then, a story appears on an inside page of a newspaper which deserves more attention than it receives. Tuesday's New York Times published an article by veteran reporter Sam Roberts. The headline on page A28: NEW YORK STATE'S VOTER TURNOUT THIS YEAR WAS LOWEST IN U.S. The lede: "Despite contests for every statewide office for the first time in decades, a smaller share of eligible voters turned out two weeks ago in New York than in any other state. New York turnout was lower than in... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/prospects-dim-for-a-waiver-on-nominee-as-ny/87137/ Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:59:45 EST The prospect for the granting of a waiver to Cathie Black so she can serve as New York City's school chancellor may have dimmed a bit in the last two days. For one thing, the New York Times reported today, in an article by Winnie Hu, that the man who will decide whether to grant the waiver, State Education Commissioner David M. Steiner, “will convene a screening panel consisting of representatives of the State Education Department and educational organizations to make a recommendation to Dr... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/how-new-york-rose-spontaneously-to-honor-john/87111/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:36:46 EST Saturday was the 70th anniversary of the birth of John Lennon, born and raised in Liverpool, England, but a New Yorker by choice for the last nine years of his life. His tragic death on December 8, 1980 in front of his home led to outpourings of sorrow from around the world. Mayor Koch led a memorial gathering at the Bandshell in Central Park on Sunday, December 14 attended by an estimated 100,000 people, to honor his memory. Recordings of Beatles' music were played for the crowd, but no... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/say-it-aint-so-hevesi-echoes-after-guilty-plea-by/87106/ Thu, 7 Oct 2010 20:23:18 EST There was little surprise in Alan Hevesi's confession that he was a corrupt Comptroller. News of the Attorney General's investigation had leaked over the years, and the guilty pleas of his co-conspirators made it clear that his office was a cesspool of favoritism obtained through bribery. For a person in such high office to betray it so completely is shocking, even to those of us who are accustomed to reporting on political corruption. It is one thing for a Vito Lopez, Pedro Espada and Larry... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/both-parties-are-weakening-though-incumbents-had/87079/ Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:43:46 EST In an initial take on yesterday's primary, we offer some nuggets of fact, surmise and opinion. 1. The Democratic and Republican party organizations continue to weaken. They are most influential in races where no one knows who the candidates are, usually for judgeships or at the bottom of the ticket. For more important offices, where voters have familiarity with the candidates, they make their own decisions as to whom they will support, guided to some extent by the campaigns and the media. The... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/city-is-shamed-by-charter-revision-commission/87064/ Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:50:06 EST Once again, we take pen in hand to criticize the actions and inactions of the Charter Revision Commission. We do that not because there is overwhelming public interest in the subject at this time, but because there is an issue of trust and credibility here which should be discussed openly. Today, the Post joined the Daily News in sharp editorial criticism of the Commission. We quote extensively from these hard-hitting editorials. If you wish, you can click on News and Post for the full text... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/charter-commission-weighs-extra-term/87050/ Fri, 20 Aug 2010 20:16:59 EST The Charter Revision Commission will meet Monday evening to decide what amendments to the City Charter will be placed on the ballot in November. The Commission's recommendations are generally beneficial and should not arouse much public controversy, except from diehards who want the political process to be as arduous and arcane as possible. The Commission was appointed in March 2010. Its primary mission was to settle the issue of term limits, which had been approved by the voters in 1993 and... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/dancing-around-the-restoration-of-term-limits/87045/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:09:48 EST The Charter Revision Commission, appointed by Mayor Bloomberg on March 3 to recommend changes in the City Charter, has brought forth its recommendations. In order to appear on the November ballot, the changes must be submitted to the City Clerk sixty days prior to the election. This year that date is September 3. The principal purpose of the Commission was to give the people a chance to vote on term limits for elected officials. In a referendum in 1993, the voters approved a charter amendment... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/woodman-spare-those-87-trees/87040/ Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:11:21 EST The "Pelham Parkway 87" are mature trees, primarily lindens, with some elms and oaks, who have the misfortune of living too close to a "road improvement", as the $36 million reconstruction of the two-mile long roadway is euphemistically called. Not enough is being done by the city to preserve these historic trees. Our efforts to identify the best way to save the Pelham Parkway 87 have been frustrated by the fact that the project falls under the auspices of three different city agencies, each... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/albanys-dangerous-limitation-on-stop-and-frisk/87029/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:36:00 EST In most places, state legislatures enact laws which assist local authorities to prevent crime or catch criminals. New York State is an exception. The New York State Senate and Assembly, with the signature of Governor Paterson, have enacted a law to prevent the Police Department from using information in its own database as leads in the investigation of violent crimes. The bill was sponsored by Senator Eric Adams and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, who represent Brooklyn districts where robbery... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/albany-awaits-the-day-when-money-runs-out/87022/ Fri, 9 Jul 2010 07:28:01 EST The state budget - or the lack of it - is as unpleasant a subject as the heat wave, and we had hoped that by now both issues would have been resolved. Unfortunately, the parties in Albany remain far apart. Today we are 98 days behind the legal deadline, which means the new state fiscal year, 2011, is now more than one-quarter over. During the Pataki era (1995-2006) a couple of budgets were not approved until August. But we were promised that when the governorship and both houses of the... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/new-york/new-york-now-lagging-california-in-race-for-non/86995/ Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:21:14 EST While paralysis prevails in the highly partisan scene in Albany, we cross the continent to California to report good news for independent and moderate voters. By a convincing margin of 54% to 46 per cent, Californians approved Proposition 14, which mandates non-partisan elections in the nation's most populous state, starting in 2011. Under the Golden State's new plan — sometimes called the "Top Two" system — all voters would receive the same primary election ballot for nearly every elective... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/when-and-how-to-intervene-with-unstable-citizens/87197/ Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:38:04 EST So much has been written about the tragic shootings in Arizona that we are reluctant to add to the paper flow. The terrible event has given people the opportunity to express their views on hatred (a word which is variously defined), guns (including Glocks with extra ammunition clips), the right (near, far, and in between) and mental illness (schizophrenia, paranoia, et al.). We believe that the murders in Tucson were more than 90% the consequence of the shooter's insanity, and less than 10% due... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/little-meaning-in-weekends-park-tragedy/87015/ Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:15:49 EST The tragic death of a six-month-old baby on Saturday just outside the Central Park Zoo was the result of a major limb of a honey locust tree which suddenly fell about thirty-five feet. The infant was being held by her mother when the falling branches struck both. The tree was said to be in full leaf, which made its branches even heavier than they might otherwise have been. The sad news received enormous media attention, because of the death of an innocent infant and the celebrity of Central... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/narrow-escape-sets-new-yorkers-to-reflecting/86942/ Thu, 6 May 2010 18:40:57 EST New Yorkers are thinking a great deal this week about the attempted bombing in Times Square. Our narrow escape from death and destruction in the heart of the city reminds us of the police work that frustrated the July 1997 plot to explode bombs on the New York City subways. That attempt came four years after the first attack on the World Trade Center and four years before September 11, 2001. There was also a conspiracy in 2009, when a New York immigrant trained by the Taliban in Pakistan bought... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/albany-flails-for-an-escape-route/86914/ Thu, 1 Apr 2010 21:34:10 EST The March 31 constitutional deadline for the adoption of the New York State budget has come and gone. The legislature and the governor have not decided on a budget, and there is no prospect of early agreement between the two houses and the governor on how to deal with a $9 billion state deficit. The executive chamber is known informally in Albany as “the second floor,” because the governor’s offices and staff are situated on the second floor of the State Capitol, which is a five-story building... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/red-letter-albany-law-takes-a-hand/86904/ Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:57:11 EST Yesterday was a red letter day in both political corruption and criminal behavior. We observed the indictment of Councilman Larry Seabrook for a multitude of crimes over seven years, and the expulsion from the Senate of Hiram Monserrate. Both are noteworthy events. The Seabrook prosecutor is the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, who was appointed by President Obama on the recommendation of the senior senator from New York, Charles Schumer. Mr. Bharara... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/bring-back-new-york-citys-board-of-estimate/75592/ Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST A wave of complaints has swirled around the New York City Council, as we read about millions of dollars going to phantom organizations, secret transfers of public funds from one group to another, and wholesale abuse by a few nonprofits of tax dollars. Take the case of Councilman Stewart's staff where there is alleged embezzlement of council appropriated funds without any monitoring of the groups involved. Mr. Stewart's former chief of staff, Asquith Reid, and his assistant, Joycinth Anderson... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/if-paterson-has-to-resign-too/73398/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST Ten days have passed since Governor Spitzer's resignation, and events seem to be running even further ahead than expected. When David Paterson was sworn in as the 55th governor of New York State, he received an enthusiastic reception from a joint session of the legislature. His speech was considered a success, demonstrating awareness of the state's acute financial crisis but not describing specific reductions. What we did not know was that a few hours later, the new governor and his wife would... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/patersons-own-history/72884/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST A surprise choice by Governor Spitzer as his running mate back in February 2006, Paterson gambled that an office which had previously been a pit stop on the road to oblivion, except for Mario Cuomo, would be a better career path than competing to be senate majority leader in the event of a Democratic takeover of the senate. Mr. Paterson won the gamble in a way no one predicted, with Mr. Spitzer's premature departure over issues of the flesh. He has now been thrust into office just two weeks... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/personal-weakness/72652/ Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST In writing about the crisis caused by Governor Spitzer's dalliance with a high-class prostitute, we find ourselves overtaken by events. First, Mr. Spitzer is a much more appealing figure in humiliation and defeat than he was when he was at the peak of his power. We were highly critical of the governor's first year for many reasons described at length in previous pieces. Throughout the year, however, we hoped for improvement and described Governor Spitzer as the best hope for progress in New... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/why-pataki-is-the-wrong-name/69093/ Tue, 8 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST Today Governor Spitzer proposes to name Hudson River Park in honor of the former governor, George Pataki, who in 1998 signed the legislation creating the park, the Sun reported. If that is the case, this would be the first blunder of the governor's second year. There are many reasons why such a name change, like others to be proposed, is inappropriate: Major parks have been named for centuries and should continue to be named for natural features or geographic places. Look at Central Park... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/from-the-stern-diaries/64394/ Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST Day One: Everything changes. Day 282: Dopp takes flight. Recently we learned that Darren Dopp, the governor's aide at the center of what may or may not have been said or done at TrooperChopper-Gate, will not remain on the public payroll. Instead he will be a partner with the large and influential lobbying firm, Patricia Lynch Associates. Ms. Lynch was formerly a top aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Her firm has both Democratic and Republican partners and clients. Mr. Dopp spent eight... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/caught-in-a-water-closet/61606/ Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EST When I read the news today, I noticed how much of it consists of lies. Bruno vs. Spitzer, Roger Stone. Who knew what when? And the fire tragedy — who cut the standpipe, who stopped the inspections, who approved the gangsters, who ignored DOI, etc.? The most recent lie, however, may have been told by Senator Craig of Idaho, who insists he is not gay. The heart of that issue depends on what your definition of ‘gay' is. It is similar to the 1990s question of what ‘is' is. If you mean someone who... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/instant-emergency-alerts/60531/ Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EST Today is Day Six, or Seven, depending on when you started counting, of the 30-day period that Governor Spitzer has given the MTA to account for what went wrong with regard to last Wednesday morning's inundation of the subway system, and what the transit agency proposes to do about such events in the future. The first requirement for this debacle is a name, preferably ending with gate. Two names leap to mind: Sewergate, because the rain-clogged sewers could not handle the overflow from the... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/henry-on-eliot/59272/ Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EST Day One: Everything Changes. Day 207: Everything Has Changed. The governor didn't take my advice. In a piece published in Tuesday's Sun, we concluded by calling on Mr. Spitzer to "repent, before it is too late." Instead, he went to the editorial board of the Daily News with a limited denial that seemed calculated to avoid the perjury trap. The problem is, not one person in a hundred believes he is telling the truth. He lied before, about his father's loans to his campaign, and admitted it to... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/governor-repent-now/59074/ Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EST Oy vey. As you know, we have been critical of Governor Spitzer's behavior for six months. Not his goals, but the way he has gone about trying to reach them. Now, he has gotten himself into real trouble. The clumsy plot against the Republican Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, using the New York State Police for political reasons, is Nixonian in nature. Mr. Spitzer is now in a situation similar to the one Nixon faced in 1973. He has denied that he was aware of the plot, which, in the normal... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/least-worst-way/50900/ Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 EST The indictment of three police officers in the aftermath of the Sean Bell shooting is gratifying to some and troubling to others. Police officers must make instant decisions with fragmentary or imperfect knowledge. The slow and contentious procedure of criminal law is an imperfect way to determine the responsibility and degree of fault some police officers may have made in the Bell case. The 50 shots fired at Bell make people overreact, just as did the 41 bullets fired at Amadou Diallo on... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/punishment-for-sex-offenders/50246/ Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 EST The New York Legislature has passed and sent to Governor Spitzer a bill intended to deal with sex offenders whose prison sentences have expired. The theory is that sexual predators are likely to repeat their crimes after they are released. When the governor signs the bill, New York will become the 20th state to authorize continued "civil confinement" of sex offenders. There is substantial anecdotal and statistical evidence of recidivism by sex offenders. In the most recent widely publicized... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/spitzer-in-2012/48737/ Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 EST The war between Governor Spitzer and the state Legislature broke out less than a week ago, and opinions differ as to whether the new governor is simply crazy, or crazy like a fox. The last time a legislative leader was dumped was in 1994, when Governor-elect Pataki made it clear in December that he wanted a new Republican Senate leader. Incumbent Ralph Marino of Oyster Bay had treated Mr. Pataki harshly during his single state Senate term, albeit with some cause, as Mr. Pataki had opposed the... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/bloomberg-for-president-2006-08-18/38125/ Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:00:00 EST Mayor Bloomberg's donation of $125 million to fight cigarette smoking, primarily in developing countries, will certainly save many thousands of lives, possibly millions. It is an extraordinary gift to an area of public health not traditionally seen as an object of private philanthropy, and hopefully it will encourage other donors to become involved in the prevention of death and disease due to lifestyle choices. The gift shows the mayor's unique ability to use his personal resources to... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/its-pr-time-again/38085/ Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:00:00 EST Until 1938, it was called as the Board of Aldermen, informally referred to as "the forty thieves," a reference to Ali Baba. Another jest derided the lawmakers' occupations: A man near the door of the Chamber shouted, "Alderman, your saloon's on fire." The room emptied immediately. In 1965, I wrote: "The City Council is less than a rubber stamp, because a rubber stamp leaves an impression." The Aldermen were not held in high regard because, apart from their personal lack of distinction and... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/governor-silver/35350/ Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:00:00 EST In the last few years, the State Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, has emerged as the dominant political figure in New York State. With Governor Pataki an increasingly lame duck, and the majority leader, Joseph Bruno, struggling to preserve the Republicans' slim State Senate majority, the speaker, who leads a 105-member Democratic conference in a 150-seat Assembly, is now the strongest of the "three men in a room," the dissonant triumvirs who have presided over our dysfunctional state... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/central-park-car-test/33973/ Wed, 7 Jun 2006 00:00:00 EST Central Park auto traffic lightened this week as city officials closed parts of the east and west drives to countercyclical rush hour traffic. The west drive runs southbound from West 110th Street, gentrified to Central Park North, which turns into Cathedral Parkway at the park's northwest corner, officially Frederick Douglass Circle. For a six-month trial ending in November, west drive will be open mornings, and closed evenings north of 72nd street. Similarly, east drive, which runs north from... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/doing-right-by-the-gifted-pupils/33001/ Thu, 18 May 2006 00:00:00 EST The City of New York has long had an ambivalent attitude toward the education of gifted children. Years ago, bright children were skipped to a higher grade. This saved years of drudgery for them, but the skipped students were younger, and often smaller than their classmates, which was said to create or exacerbate adjustment problems. Another program was special classes for the ablest children in each grade. They were variously called Op classes (for opportunity), R classes (for rapid advance... HENRY STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/teaching-facts/32340/ Mon, 8 May 2006 00:00:00 EST There is one man who appears to have taken on the entire American educational establishment. His name is E. D. Hirsch, Jr., and he is a University Professor of Education and English emeritus at the University of Virginia. He has written three books since 1987 expounding his views. The first book, Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, tells us that there is an alarming deficit of knowledge among Americans, particularly young people, of basic facts about history and literature... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/shredded-principles/30368/ Tue, 4 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST Corporate America lives by the quarterly report, and reputations have been made and lost by gyrations in the figures, and the legerdemain that goes into their preparation. In government, there are no rigid time frames for reporting results, whether they are achievements or disappointments. There are timelines, such as the process of the executive submitting a proposed budget and the legislature modifying and then adopting it. This happened in Albany on Friday, March 31. This is the second... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/schools-tilt-fiscal-balance/30118/ Thu, 30 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST The Senate and Assembly are reported to have agreed on the state budget, which is required to be adopted by April 1. For 19 of the past 20 years (except 2005), the budget was not adopted until late in the year, but that goes into the category of unenforced laws. The governor is likely to veto the pumped-up 2006 budget, and the legislature may then negotiate or override. Today's arrangement provides increased spending, reduced taxes, and more borrowing, further increasing the record state debt... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/seven-year-itch/29702/ Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:00:00 EST One of the delights of New York City parks is the occasional dramatic appearance of a genuine wild animal. For the past two days, the unexpected visitor to Central Park was a male coyote, who followed a path very similar to his predecessor, who dropped in on us in April 1999. Spring is apparently the season when adventurous young males set forth in search of food, females, or affirming life experiences. Although we really don't know how coyotes reach Central Park, we suppose that they come down... HENRY J. STERN http://www.nysun.com/opinion/subway-crime/28156/ Fri, 24 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST Many Americans wonder about laws that are enacted but not enforced. For example, pirated DVDs, or digital versatile discs, are sold routinely on the streets and in the subways of New York City. Thousands of New Yorkers know this because they see it every day. Why don't the police stop these illegal vendors of pirated merchandise? The discs are spread on the floor of subway arcades, usually on a sheet. The vendor stands (or sits) at the site. When a customer makes a choice, sometimes by pointing...