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Today's Poll: Should New York be split into two states?

By Howard B. Owens
Dave Olsen

Initially my first reaction was similar to Greg’s above, and I voted Yes. After a couple more cups of coffee and some actual work related e-mail answering and phone calling, I reconsidered. We can co-exist and should for a lot of reasons. But some very big changes are needed. One size fits all policies don’t. There is a heck of a difference between Western NY and NYC/Long Island. A lot more autonomy in certain areas is needed. This study is 10 years old, but has some good points nonetheless. http://www.ppinys.org/reports/2004/letupstate.pdf. I like the compromise (did I just type that?) of the state making policy, but leaving the details about how to manage and fund those policies to the counties. Smaller counties can merge services as we have done with our health dept. We can contract out many services and thereby create local entrepreneurs. We don’t need inspectors from the state coming in and telling us how to run our county, like the jail for example. Revenue streams in large metropolitan counties are quite different than in a small rural county, the burden is a heck of a lot more personal. Waiting for the state legislatures to work out solutions to benefit us, won’t get it done, usually they just make it worse. They are complaining in NYC that they send us too much money, we are complaining that they are burying us under mandated bureaucracies that don’t work for us. Why can’t they be them, and us be us? Cuomo can keep his Buffalo Billion and Start up NY programs, leave the money right here with us and we can figure it out.
Mr. Governor, want to show the nation that you are ready to be President? Then show that you recognize the obvious and have the strength of character to release control and embrace home rule. Show that you respect peoples’ ability to manage their own affairs, both personally and in local governments. Stop dangling our own money back at us, telling us what we have to do to get some of it back, and stop making counties and regions compete against each other for the money taken from them in the first place. Enable counties to join together, organically not forced.The legislature is a dysfunctional bunch of back-biters and downright criminals. Lead them, don’t embolden them.

Nov 7, 2014, 8:32am Permalink
Kyle Slocum

But Dave, he IS them and all the things that you suggest he do would be at odds with his progressive philosophy.

The people are cattle that must be herded and husbanded by the enlightened. It's for their own good, after all.

Nov 7, 2014, 7:39pm Permalink
Kyle Slocum

C. M.,

Sure, leaving out the insert. Assembly positions in NYC are purely patronage positions handed out to cronies. The powers that be agree to put good ol' Joey's nephew on the democrat line for the job. Done deal.

Why, exactly, is Joey's nephew voting on agriculture issues when he has never actually seen a cow, let alone ranged beyond the end of the street lights, is beyond my comprehension. I'm equally befuddled about why an assembly member who has never set foot on a subway, let alone gotten within 100 miles of one, is voting on mass transit issues. It is the tale of two planets...

Nov 8, 2014, 9:24pm Permalink
Kyle Slocum

As an essential tool of commuting, it is very limited geographically. Most non-downstaters have never been on a bus or subway except on vacation to an urban anthill...

Nov 9, 2014, 11:04pm Permalink

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