State Budget Bill Would Cap Property Taxes and Let Grocers Sell Wine

L-R: Sheldon Silver& John L. Sampson after meeting

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson is including controversial proposals to cap local property taxes and allow the sale of wine in grocery stores in an emergency budget bill that lawmakers are expected to put to a vote on Monday to keep state government operating.

The bill would also restore about $300 million in school aid, a top priority of Assembly Democrats, while cutting $250 million from state agencies on top of cuts proposed by Mr. Paterson in January.

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Budget Bill Would Cap Property Taxes & Let Grocers Sell Wine

Wine Sales Dropping in New York

Ban on Retail Sales Hurting State Wine Industry

ALBANY — New York’s continued ban on the sale of wine in grocery stores is having a dramatic impact on the sale of locally produced wine, knocking the state’s ranking of off-premise wine sales below Missouri, Indiana and North Carolina.

Restrictive, prohibition era rules have succeeded in knocking our state’s wine and grape farmers to a laughable ranking in state-of-origin wine sales.

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Wine Sales Dropping in New York

Updated: Union to Congress, Unemployed: Take Our Jobs

(UPDATED COVERAGE, June 25) “Take Our Jobs,” please. That’s the message from the United Farm Workers union, which is turning the tables on Congress after years of inaction on comprehensive immigration reform.

The union launched a campaign called Take Our Jobs, showcased on the website www.takeourjobs.org, to highlight the reality that illegal immigrants in agriculture are not taking jobs away from U.S. citizens and other legal residents.

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Farmers' Costs Higher Than Reported

There are as many solutions to the problem of dairy farms being forced out of business because of low milk prices as there are farmers. The proposals can — and should — be debated vigorously by both farmers and consumers, without delay.

First though, there has to be some adjustment in the way we are thinking about the "problem" of milk pricing. In the past several years, the price farmers have been paid for their milk is $2 to $6 below the so-called cost of production.

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Farmers' Costs Higher Than Reported