Posts tagged legislators
Commentary: Groomed by the System: How a Colorado School Betrayed a Family’s Trust
April 24, 2025 // A child, driven by an inappropriate relationship with a teacher, felt compelled to falsely declare herself homeless. Yet not a single adult entrusted with her safety — not the counselor, not the teachers, not the principal — acted responsibly. When the child’s mother confronted the principal about the inappropriate relationship, the principal defended the teacher, saying, “Ms Kearney takes interest in helping kids navigate their sexuality.”
Commentary: Why does the US have it in for gig workers?
February 9, 2025 // There’s no argument that the gig economy has surged dramatically, particularly since the pandemic. More than 20m new businesses have launched since 2020, the great majority of those representing side hustlers, independent contractors and freelancers. According to data reported in Forbes, an estimated 64 million Americans, representing 38% of the US workforce, did freelance work in 2023, which is up by 4 million people over the previous year, and contributed almost $1.3tn in annual earnings to the US economy. Is the IRS that fearful over the loss of tax revenues? As a business owner, I don’t pay employer taxes when I hire freelancers. But the freelancer is responsible for paying a “self-employment” tax when they file their tax returns, so if they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, there shouldn’t be much difference. Most states have similar tax arrangements. If a taxpayer fails to report those earnings, then that’s on them. They’re breaking the law and risk penalties or even prison.
How California’s nonprofits got dragged into a fight between unions and local governments
June 19, 2024 // It was the latest salvo in a big-money lobbying fight between labor unions and local governments over the hiring of private contractors that perform services for the state’s 4,800 counties, cities, special districts and schools. Local governments rely on contractors to perform a wide range of services paid with taxpayer funds. Contractors run animal shelters and after-school programs. They provide health care in local jails as well as homeless, legal aid and immigration services. Contractors cut fire breaks around rural communities, perform engineering services for public works projects, build affordable housing and fix government computer systems.
Unions call on lawmakers to tackle affordable housing
April 17, 2024 // Michael Heller, president of the Association of Riverdale Cooperatives & Condominiums, said he was happy to see the strike averted. “We’re delighted this was avoided and we hope our co-op boards and our co-op leadership can continue to have a productive relationship with their unionized employees for a full three more years,” Heller said. In a statement, realty board president Billy Schur said rising interest and insurance rates, vacancies, and other issues arising from the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act were to blame for a hostile environment for property owners throughout the borough. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz disagreed. “That’s a lot of nonsense,” Dinowitz said. “They’ve been bellyaching about the HSTPA for the past five years. But they certainly didn’t complain when the laws were so heavily skewed toward landlords, when they were making money hand over fist.” The root of the problem, Dinowitz said, is rents are too high. “The solution to everything is not necessarily in Albany,” he said.