During President Obama’s first term and again in his successful re-election campaign, virtually nothing was said or done about people in the United States who are trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair. The focus was on middle class families and their concerns. This is not to say that the nation should ignore its […]
Columns
Posted inNews & Opinion
Aid the transformation of America’s urban areas
Like most cities, Rochester’s primary source of income is the property tax. But this funding mechanism was created when cities were home to large factories and commercial establishments with vast inventories of real, taxable property.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Guns, criminal justice, and a national agenda
There are things that are simply too terrible.
Posted inNews & Opinion
Libraries, e-books, and the freedom to read
Public libraries are champions of books and defenders of your freedom to read. They provide a wide variety of reading materials and access for all. It’s an important role, because a free society depends on freedom to read to ensure universal access to information, new ideas, different opinions, learning through books, and knowledge. These activities […]
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GUEST COMMENTARY: Wealth disparity and our graduation rate
Not long ago, published research demonstrated that countries that had a high disparity between wealth and poverty were also characterized by low confidence in their government and contempt for the law. There is a justifiable assumption that the government is corrupt, serving the elite while either actively suppressing the poor or failing to use the […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Try voting for a change
My parents, Fred and Phyllis Hare, never missed an election. In the 1950’s and 60’s, they were typical of their friends in the little village of Owego, New York, near the Pennsylvania border. They believed that citizens have a duty to vote and that those who couldn’t be bothered had a duty to keep their […]
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Our new website
Today we welcome readers to City’s new online site, a much-anticipated replacement for a site snuffed out last spring by a massive offsite technical breakdown. It comes, obviously, with an entirely different look, and over the next few months
Posted inNews & Opinion
Invest in youth now or pay later
“We need to invest now in youth who can be positively impacted so we do not have to pay later.” As I read Mary Anna Towler’s recent article “Facing Facts on Violence” (Urban Journal, July 18), I reflected on how, as a community, we really must openly address and discuss Rochester’s violence. As executive director […]
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Always reforming,not always improving
“The kind of improvement that will make a difference for students requires much more than a rigorous teacher evaluation system.” The teacher evaluation bill, passed by New York lawmakers on June 21, will give “limited public access” to teacher evaluations. Evaluation scores (not the names of teachers) will be posted on the State Education website. […]
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On rights and rites in the same-sex marriage debate
“The United States is not a theocracy under which religious law takes precedence over laws passed by democratically elected legislative bodies.” Since President Obama expressed his support of same-gender marriage, there has been an intense reaction among many in our nation. This debate must run its course in our society, as all major advances in […]
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Awaiting the surge
“Picture the person you love most in the world,” wrote David Brooks at the start of his Sunday Times column
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What do you want in a school superintendent?
The Rochester school district starts the year with more challenges than is good for it
