(Wow. - promoted by phillip anderson)
Real leaders are sorely lacking in New York, but nowhere is this more true than the GLOW counties (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming). Today, our State Senators (Volker and Ranzenhofer) have joined other upstate Republicans to start another round of "Look at that Shiny Object Over There," the game we have been playing forever with the same lackluster results. Follow me over the fold to read about today's counterproductive move.
(Crossposted at GLOWDemocrats.com.) |
| As everyone should surely know by now, New York faces one of the most dire financial crises in its history. Last month alone, the projected state deficit for the coming year grew by $2 billion (with a "b"), because the recession continues to shrink the tax revenues the state usually brings in. We have been on a troubling trajectory for some time, spending too much, but what has taken that unhealthy status quo and turned it into a true fiscal emergency is the broader economic climate that has caused a dramatic reduction in the state's resources.
It's clear that now, more than ever, all New Yorkers should be working together to find a way out of this mess, regardless of party or region. Unfortunately, upstate Republicans, including two who represent parts of the GLOW counties, have taken the opposite path. Late today comes word (http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/12808/secession-the-yankee-way) that State Senators Dale Volker (SD61, all of Wyoming and parts of Livingston), Mike Ranzenhofer (all of Genesee), Joe Robach (SD 56), James Seward (SD 51), and William Larkin (SD39) introduced legislation to allow a referendum to go before New Yorkers, asking the question: "Do you support the division of New York into two separate states?" This is about as far as possible from the kind of constructive thinking we need right now. It will generate press and play into people's prejudices, but it won't help solve our problems and may make it harder for clearer thinking people to do the job these gentlemen refuse to do.
One of the misconceptions we labor under here upstate is the notion that our tax money all goes to New York City. My experience campaigning for the 147th Assembly seat in 2006 convinces me that this is an unshakable article of faith among many of our neighbors, despite the fact that our counties get more dollars back from Albany than we send. Perhaps they believe that because Republican politicians like Dale Volker (who has been in office since I was in elementary school, and I am hardly a spring chicken,) have harped on evil "downstate interests" for a generation to reinforce the Republican brand and keep us from really working on the issues that face the entire state. So, many upstate voters will find their incorrect assumptions reinforced by this referendum idea and could latch on to it. Unrealistic fantasies that divorcing from downstate would be the magic bullet our region needs will dominate the conversation, when what our region and state both need are long overdue doses of realism and reform when it comes to governance and budgeting.
What's worse is there is an unintended consequence here that could do more damage than just repeating our tradition of ignoring root causes when a misleading diversion is handy. You see, it turns out that downstaters have their own dreams of secession, and it is becoming an ever-more enticing idea to many of them. They regard upstate as a bottomless pit for their tax dollars, and they'd like to be free of what they see as the burden of upstate. So, Senators Volker, Ranzenhofer, et al, be careful what you wish for. |
