Does ANYONE have any idea of what is it going to take to turn Upstate NY around? (New York: layoffs, schools)

[iloveupstateny]

I am just at a loss. I am talking about bringing upstate cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse back to some glimmer of their former selves--and to me....the answer is simply.......jobs.

[ThirtyThirty]

Someone to blow up the rest of NYC?

[I'minformed2]

get property taxes under control, get rid of some of the business unfriendly policies that work for NYC but DEFINITLEY hurt Upstate.

[garmin239]

Reduce taxes by slashing education and medicaid spending. Also layoff a few thousand of these state workers. We have more per capita than most states.

[Jeromeville]

yes, there are many policies that make sense in NYC but no longer make sense for Upstate.

[iloveupstateny]

Are the taxes in NYS the highest in the country? Does anyone have any data? hmmmmmmmm.

[archtopguitar]

Well the rest of the country is going to go the way of upstate NY, more taxes, bigger goverment. It has destroyed NY states economy and it will destroy the rest of the U.S.

[honeychrome]

What can be done in upstate NY that can't be done cheaper somewhere else? Right now, nothing, really. And the savings that can be had by manufacturing in China, providing information services in India, etc. are far, far greater than changing tax policy can make up for- in fact all taxes could be completely eliminated and it would still be much cheaper for business to operate elsewhere in the world. I'm certainly not defending NY tax policy, or the size of state government, but the issues that have put upstate NY into the state it is currently in are greater than these things.

What can be done in upstate NY that can't be done better somewhere else? Again, right now, nothing. We have an extensive higher-education system, but its reputation for quality is slipping. Cheaper and more highly educated or skilled workers can be found elsewhere. Again, tax policy and the size of state government doesn't have a huge amount to do with this.

Cheap energy and national trade policy have far more to do with the decline of upstate NY than state tax policy and government size, and as long as energy remains cheap, upstate NY will continue to stagnate. However energy is not likely to remain cheap in the long term, which portends national and global difficulty (if not outright impossibility) in maintaining the growth rates our economies have come to take as essential, but increasing energy costs could actually help upstate NY, at least relative to the broader economy. The northeastern US has a huge population density, and as it gets more and more expensive to move goods, food, etc. from around the globe to meet the needs of this population there will be growing opportunities to meet those needs from regional and local sources. Policy ought to encourage development of these sources (intensive and sustainable food production and forestry, etc.) as well as upgrading and maintaining NY State's decent, but aging infrastructure needed for the regional delivery of goods.

Tax policy will not be enough to attract high-tech industry to upstate NY. There are other parts of the country like Northern California that already have a long-established high-tech culture and the necessary infrastructure as well as a constant feedstock of highly skilled tech workers flowing out of local institutions. The tech industry erupted directly out of the schools in such places, it didn't drop out of the sky due to tax incentives. If upstate NY seriously wants a tech industry we're going to have to start from scratch, and that means starting with the schools, and it will be an investment that will be expensive and will take some time to pay off. The best teachers at the university level are expensive, but the best teachers attract the best students, and these teachers and students demand high-quality facilities. But from these teachers and students sprout the start-ups that create an industry. The key is in getting these teachers to stick around long enough for the industry to incubate- once it takes hold it generates its own gravity, attracting yet more great minds. But the teachers have to be compensated well enough to keep them in place until things get going

[JiminCT]

The govt sector needs to be SLASHED dramatically. New York has a local, county, and state layer of government. Consolidate the local municipalities to a county style government and reduce duplication. At the state level....there needs to be a healthy cleaning of all the albany bureacratic backwater. Layoffs should be a MAJOR part of dealing with the state....its the waste, pension, and retiree health expenses that are killing NYS.

Upstate NY has a problem of locale....yes its beautiful in some areas, but the winter climate is a HUGE albatross. Most people who arent from upstate NY have no idea what its like in the winter...and yes, it drives many away. Upstate NY needs to take advanatage of its geography....food products and a focal point for Canadian businesses with US operations. The latter could be utilized....

And of course organic farming...that could be a big opportunity for upstate.

[bellafinzi]

Originally Posted by iloveupstateny

I am just at a loss. I am talking about bringing upstate cities like Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse back to some glimmer of their former selves--and to me....the answer is simply.......jobs.

Yes, jobs

But how will upstate attract new jobs?

After much reflection I've come to the conclusion that the only way policies will change in favor of Upstate is if TPTB or the elite in NYC find a reason to care about Syracuse, Buffalo or Rochester etc.

If the people with the power don't care, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.