Gregory Floyd, 2/9/12

President, Teamsters Local 237

On the other hand, most of the candidates vying to run against Obama would rip apart the public-sector worker system that has provided for decades of middle-class families. That is why elections are so important.

Andy Ostroy, 2/9/12

Political & pop culture analyst

After sitting a few minutes in the waiting room I was asked to meet the doctor in his office. He stood up, smiled (oh God, why is he smiling?) and proceeded to close the door (oh God, why is he closing the door?").

David Wild, 2/9/12

TV Writer; Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone; Co-Author, 'Diary of a Player"'

Because the Beach Boys are not only reuniting and performing on the Grammy Awards -- they're also completely redefining the use of the word "Boys."

Rev. Al Sharpton, 2/9/12

President, National Action Network

This is about the notion that some religiously affiliated hospitals and schools receive federal money and therefore cannot deny a woman a federal guarantee. This is real 'class warfare' and this time the victims are the most vulnerable -- women from lower-income neighborhoods.

Peter Hanlon, 2/9/12

Senior Research and Policy Analyst, GRACE Communications Foundation

Imagine expanding the number of tidal turbines in NYC's East River over the next ten years -- enough to ultimately generate about 1 megawatt of electricity, enough to power 9,500 New York homes.

Camilla Webster, 2/9/12

Author, Journalist

For me, Grand Central is the last bastion of an American grandeur, when traveling was an elegant enterprise free from shoe checks and body scans. This month traveling through my favorite train station gets even better.

Courtney Cachet, 2/9/12

Designer, TV Personality, Style Slave, Writer, Ninja

Zarin is taking her over 25 years of retail experience and parlaying it into her new venture, a shape wear line called Skweez Couture. An unexpected, yet rather savvy move.

James R. Knickman, 2/9/12

President & CEO, New York State Health Foundation

The CBO recently issued a disheartening report showing that 10 Medicare demonstration projects designed to reduce health care costs were largely ineffective. The results were discouraging, but perhaps not entirely surprising.

Vivien Hoexter, 2/9/12

President, Hoexter Executive Consulting

Some might say that the new plaza at the Met is a vanity project -- and at $60 million an expensive one. I beg to differ.

Jed Kolko, 2/9/12

Chief Economist, Trulia

These are what we call a city's "best-kept secret" neighborhoods. They're not secrets to most local house hunters, but outsiders looking to move in typically overlook them.

Tony Newman, 2/9/12

Director of Media Relations, Drug Policy Alliance

In September Commissioner Kelly ordered his police to stop making improper marijuana arrests. The 2011 statistics, however, show that his order has not stopped these arrests -- and NYC remains the marijuana arrest capital of the world.

Dan Treadway, 2/9/12

Assistant editor, Huffington Post Sports

In the wake of Lin's rise in popularity, the first person that the media wants to compare him to is, naturally, the hottest athlete at the moment: Tim Tebow. But for many reasons such a comparison is lazy.

Mike Lux, 2/9/12

Co-founder and CEO, Progressive Strategies

We'll win some but we'll lose some, and some of the time we will do both at the same time. That is the story of the robo-signing settlement that has finally become a done deal after many long months of struggle over it.

Yves Smith, 2/9/12

Creator of Naked Capitalism; Author, Econned: How Unenlightened Self Interest Undermined Democracy and Corrupted Capitalism

This settlement is yet another demonstration of who wields power in America, and it isn't you and me. It's bad enough to see these negotiations come to their predictable, sorry outcome. It adds insult to injury to see some try to depict it as a win for long suffering, still abused homeowners.

Barbara Becker, 2/8/12

Founder, EqualShot; Faculty, Columbia University

While walking with my 8-year-old son near our home in Manhattan, he spotted a purple swastika scrawled across a billboard advertisement. As I took in the complexities of the situation, my son uttered words that made my heart break.

Dan Collins, 2/8/12

New York Editor-at-Large, The Huffington Post

Do you think there's a celebrity somewhere who'd be interested in taking on legislative redistricting? I know it's quite a lift. But if there was ever a good cause that needed some glamour, this is it.

Radley Balko, 2/8/12

Senior Writer and Investigative Reporter, The Huffington Post

How can we be facing an epidemic of overdose deaths wrought by too many prescriptions for painkillers and, at the same time, be facing a public health crisis of undertreated pain?