I decided to re-post this article from September as we seem to find ourselves in a similar pickle in regards to the current Route 5 issue that is burning up the Internet tubes here and at BRO.
For decades, the opinions of the people were summarily ignored by city and regional leadership and the electorate rewarded the leadership for their disdain by repeatedly sending them back to office.
Now, in 2007, there is a backlash to any project proposed by the elected leadership (or their appointed friends) and every swinging dick in Buffalo with an opinion feels that he/she must defend it to the end of time.
Of course, those same elected leaders are now confused because, after all, they have been re-elected time and again on the “Screw the people, I’m doing what I want” platform.
Thus, we have this type of nonsensical argument over Bass Pro and whether it will be located within 100 yards of a sacrosanct public space, whether the parking lot should be moved 100 yards, and whether or not Bass Pro or Cultural Tourism will save our waterfront.
Maybe it’s me, but I really don’t give a rat’s ass if Bass Pro builds a store in Buffalo nor do I care if Tim Tielman’s Disney-fied version of Buffalo’s canal district gets built.
I just don’t care anymore.
These projects and issues are mere distractions from the real problems our city faces as it attempts to move forward.
I don’t have the kind of time that Tim Tielman does to sit around on my ass and wish for a return to Buffalo 1912. I don’t have the time to wonder why people won’t spend $75,000 to rehab a house in the most economically depressed neighborhood in America. I don’t have the time nor inclination to demand that white people get a Buffalo version of “Tavern On The Green” and classier places to urinate whilst munching wine and cheese at Shakespeare in The Park along Bill Hoyt’s lake.
I want people to demonstrate as much indignation that the City of Buffalo public school system is crumbling. I want people to fight against the political intransigence and corruption that creates this “everyone fight over the crumbs” mentality. I want comprehensive regional planning, lower state taxes, a region which empowers a free market to provide opportunity and possibilities. I want to live in a Western New York where people like Dale Volker, Robin Schimminger, and David Franczyk are considered unqualified to serve in public office.
I want a REAL “New Buffalo”…one that sees the big picture and stops infighting.
If we lived in a city that valued 21st century economic development, that shook off the mortal coil of a union-era work ethos, and worked for real, demonstrable political change…we would create an environment in which waterfront development would be a competitive scenario.
Companies would clamor to serve the needs of Buffalo FARL (Forest to Allen, Richmond to Linwood). We would have neighborhoods that gentrify because market forces demand high end retail and services. We would have people as invested in the improvement of our school system as they are in the demolition of a Medina Sandstone porch on Elmwood or a six lane boulevard vice a highway with access roads.
If and when that happens, we’ll finally be moving in the right direction.
Until then, keep fiddling while Buffalo burns.
18 Comments
Good post and I agree.
Arguing about Bass Pro is like arguing about what color the lines should be painted on a crumbling bridge. Our problems and dysfunction are systemic and we need big picture infrastructure repair.
Yes, very good summary. And the “if and when” wording at the end was much better than saying “when”.
At the heart of the matter is that big majorities of current residents of the city/region/state just don’t sufficiently value the importance of having government stay much more out of the way of private sector capitalism.
In general, voters in the more successful cities, regions, and states seem to understand that to a much larger degree. And yeah it can be frustrating. Weird and frustrating.
Doesn’t seem like even the slightest change on the horizon statewide, given Faso’s very poor showing in the governor’s race. He could have been very good if somehow he had won - which is of course why he had no chance. Probably no Republican candidate will have a chance in the next 20-30 years unless it’s somebody of the big govt Pataki mold.
At the county level, it would be nice to think that Collins could make some real difference, but the CE powers just aren’t very broad (due to NYS mandates, etc.) and even for discretionary stuff there will be at least 11 or 12 solid big govt county legislators out of 15.
And here in the city… probably the less said about the competing political philosophies the better. Left and Lefter.
This may qualify as one of the best posts in Buffalo blogging history. Awesome! The whole region has a remarkably undeserved sense of entitlement and inertia that needs to end or die we will. It’s not a Republican vs. Democrat or left vs. right issue in my opinion - it’s a fundamental mindset of protectionism over constructive engagement that is holding us back.
You know I agree- nice post, broseph.
When people don’t cast their vote for a local politician not because their union or professional organization told them to, or because he seemed like a nice guy when he showed up at the church social, shook hands, and handed out refrigerator magnets, but instead voted on their previous performance and what was really accomplished, we may see progress.
(Sorry for the run on)
I think Hodgepodge was spot on about the undeserved sense of entitlement. When people stop demanding what they want, and start demanding what the city and region need, perhaps we will move forward.
Hodge and Paul - I agree that sense of entitlement is a “Buffalo thing” and yeah it’s annoying as all hell but… is that really a root cause of our economic decline relative to most of the U.S.?
Just seems to me that our decline is so much correlating with that seen across upstate, or North Appalachia as Gov Steam Roller used to call it back when while he was still Candidate Steam Roller… that therefore the major root causes logically have some commonality as well.
That’s what makes me think it’s more to do with the strident unionism and our leftist philosophy of government spending and regulation.
We have those factors in common with our upstate neighbors, but I’ve never noticed the sense of elitist entitlement spoken about them anywhere near the way it’s spoken here, so to me that just sounds like the icing on the cake.
I do agree it’s not Republican vs. Democrat, as Pataki, Bruno, Volker, etc. have shown us. But in the past say 40 years, NYS has never tried any approaches other than being among the farthest left states for taxes, spending, regulating, etc.
NYC can tolerate dragging along that burden but it just has a devastating effect on upstate.
I skipped over everyone’s comment to quote this:
“These projects and issues are mere distractions from the real problems our city faces as it attempts to move forward.”
Thank you… thank you… thank you Buffalo Geek for saying that!
Bufalo isn’t in the state its in because of “union work ethos” (whatever that is) or leftist politicicians (the left in WNY, like everywhere else in this country, is small and lacks real power). Buffalo is poor for three main reasons that I can see. One is a decades-long demographic shift from city to suburb, east to west, north to south. This had a lot to do with decisions made at the federal level — not a whole lot a mayor (or whoever) could do about it. The second reason is a series of huge planning mistakes (UB in Amherst, 33, etc.).
The third reason is economic globalization, which made deindustrialization possible. The wonderful thing about globalization is that it will continue to the point that eventually all those jobs which left here for the “the more successful cities” of the south and west will end up in China or India, and places like North Carolina will revert to being the impoverished redneck shitholes they always were.
Yup … It’s all the UNIONS fault as usual ! Good thing six sigma is here to save the day !
You are missing the point…
It is not the fault of the unions, I didn’t say it was. However, when an assemblyman like Sam Hoyt is as concerned with the opinions of businessmen and entrepreneurs as he is with the endorsement of SEIU, AFSCME, CSEA, etc. we’ll be moving in the right direction.
The political environment in which we live values the return to $25 per hour jobs at “da plant” as opposed to recruiting new economy companies. We do little to create an environment in which businesses will choose to move to the region and grow.
We are a region from which businesses wish to escape due to the onerous cost of conducting operations.
We are a shrinking region with fewer and fewer private interests at the table and more and more people interested in maintaining the status quo. It is depressing and I fail to see how we can mobilize the electorate in a new direction.
We can blame the weather, UB in Amherst, the I-190, etc, but the real problem is eastward in Albany. Until the leash is loosened from around our collective economic neck, we will not have the density or will to change.
Before you can have real development and economic growth, you need a foundation which supports that. We think that roadways and design guidelines will foster growth…coupled with massive incentives, those things might provide some iterative progress. However, it makes more sense to look at the reasons we NEED those massive incentives in the first place and reduce the burden on individuals and corporations.
When that happens, demand for services, products, and better design will happen as a matter of course. Until then, comparing ourselves to San Francisco and Portland is absolutely pointless.
“However “? I knew there would be one of those. ” I didn’t say it … HOWEVER ….
You DO continually blame unions for this areas “downfall”. Forget the valid points Colin made ….
Nice touch with “Da plant”, too … you pompous windbag.
You know what they should do with the Marcy Casino ? Turn it into a training center for six sigma pink belts- you could be the sensei.
Union-ism isn’t THE reason for the decline of WNY, but it is a part of it.
I am a pompous windbag, it’s part of my charm. What should we do to grow the economy here? Any thoughts on that matter or are you too busy patching up the inflatable rat to be posted outside the next development project in the area?
We should all become six sigma rainbow super belts.
Hey, Geek … how would a six sigma jedi ninja platinum belt such as yourself suggest I “patch the rat” in the most cost effective manner ?
I will eagerly await your response, sensei.
“It is depressing and I fail to see how we can mobilize the electorate in a new direction.”
RonPaul2008.com
1. The common use of faux-ethnic/working class phrasing — “da plant,” “da yoonion,” etc. — by anti-lobor folks on local blogs is pretty ugly.
2. Local government offers all sorts of incentives to get companies to set up shop here. Local IDAs will give you tax breaks from here to eternity without ever requiring that you actually produce the new jobs you promised. I think the problem runs deeper than a lack of effort at recruiting new jobs.
3. The policies that made southern states an alternative to the “onerous cost of doing business” in more civilized areas — “right to work” laws, no taxes/safety net, an impoverished population that will accept anything — were typically enacted by hateful racists during the Jim Crow era. A southern politician might follow up a ribbon cutting ceremony for a relocated northen factory with a fun little Klan rally. Check out an interestign book called “Mollie’s Job.”
I don’t think any of you have the temperament to be in politics.
Wrong temperments to be in politics, yet not enough irony to be urban hipsters. D-oh! and D-ohhh!!!
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[...] Geek posted this yesterday, and I think it makes an excellent point. Is arguing about Bass Pro going to make Buffalo better? No. Will Canal Side make the ride to downtown along Walden from Cheektowaga less depressing? No. There are fundamental, systemic problems adversely affecting this city, and no one’s really talking about them in a serious manner, and never, ever do they generate the sort of controversy that they deserve. I want people to demonstrate as much indignation that the City of Buffalo public school system is crumbling. I want people to fight against the political intransigence and corruption that creates this “everyone fight over the crumbs” mentality. I want comprehensive regional planning, lower state taxes, a region which empowers a free market to provide opportunity and possibilities. I want to live in a Western New York where people like Dale Volker, Robin Schimminger, and David Franczyk are considered unqualified to serve in public office. [...]
[...] you know Buffalo Pundit and Buffalo Geek are talking Bass Pro, Jennifer is blogging at AllthingsJennifer.com, Yay! Michele Johnson is back [...]