Barrett Seaman

August 25, 2026 Editor, Hudson Independent: Mike Lawler, the Republican member of Congress representing the 17th District of New York (Rockland County and parts of Westchester and Putnam) has a slick TV ad running now that touts the “accomplishments” of the one big “beautiful” bill that passed in 2025.

August 24, 2026 When I was a child, I understood a simple principle: if I broke a neighbor’s window and later paid to repair it, I had fulfilled an obligation; I had not performed an act of heroism. That principle offers a useful way to examine the current celebration surrounding the federal deduction for state and local taxes, commonly called SALT. The deduction is not a recent privilege.

August 21, 2026 News In The Rivertowns Is About To Get Bigger–And Better. This isn’t one of those Debbie Downer stories about yet another local news organization shuttering its doors or getting bought out by a private equity firm that strips its assets and takes what little is left.