With the holiday season nearing it’s closure and a new year upon us, I thought it was time to cobble together a random musings post which details where my mind is at right now as both a blogger and Citizen of Buffalo. It’s one part recap of 2007 and one part resolutions for 2008…

• I thought 2007 would be the year in which Buffalo made some tremendous strides both politically and economically. Unfortunately, it was a lot like 2006, 2005, and 2004; Iterative progress which doesn’t amount to much of a “revolution”. Positive developments can be found if you look hard enough. However, when I look back on 2007, I don’t see much progress made on addressing the massive problems of poverty, urban blight, racism, vacant properties, and failing public education system that engulf vast swaths of our urban environment. I also see little progress being made on the statewide level to address our overbearing business costs, over regulation, excessive personal tax rates, corruption, abuse of taxpayer monies, unaccountable authorities, and unresponsive elected officials. It doesn’t inspire much hope for 2008. Hey, way to kick things off with a tidal wave of optimism, eh?
• I can’t decide which politician has been a bigger disappointment to the people of Buffalo, Byron Brown or Eliot Spitzer. Frankly, I voted for neither, so I can’t say I’m surprised they have been massive disappointments. It seems as if Mayor Brown is looking to create as little ruckus as possible while he waits for Rep. Louise Slaughter to retire. Congress is calling, don’t want to rock the boat too much and piss off any potential constituencies! Spitzer seems to lack the ability to lead or build consensus. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who was an observer of his behavior as Attorney General. State Senator Joe Bruno has effectively neutered Spitzer and without a massive Mea Culpa, I don’t see a way for Spitzer to rebuild political capital to fight back or accomplish any of his ambitious agenda.
• The proxy war for the Democratic Party in the City of Buffalo continues unabated between Sam Hoyt and Byron Brown. Shifting allegiances in party politics, control of the Common Council, control of district committeemen, control of patronage power, control of party messaging and candidates…all of it up for grabs as Hoyt and the Party square off against Byron and Grassroots. What does any of this matter in the grand scheme of things? Absolutely nothing and is a total distraction from the business of the people. See my first point about why 2007 was like any other year…
• Tell Bashar Issa to give me a call when he gets something significant done over at the Statler. Until then, I’d like it if he’d stop with the grand proclamations about his massive design plans to reinvigorate the entirety of Buffalo proper. He is a walking silver bullet plan to the denizens of “New Buffalo” and it is growing execeedingly tedious. To belabor his efforts and support him vociferously every time he farts in our general direction makes us look small and insignificant.
• Piggybacking on that, I’d like to define the difference between “efforts” and “results” for people in this town as it seems as if we are so disconnected from someone actually getting something done that we often confuse the two…
  • Results - Something tangible that comes from the conscious application of effort. Something to be celebrated.
  • Efforts - The work done to achieve a particular end. Not worth celebrating.

• The reason that Niagara Falls has failed to derive any tangible benefits from their Casino has little to do with the actual casino itself. It has everything to do with incompetent and corrupt elected leadership and a lack of planning to build anything around the casino. How is it Barry Snyder’s problem that NFR and Cordish have done absolutely nothing with the property they own? People might go outside the casino if there was a place for them to go or something for them to do! The casino has generated millions in tax revenue for the city and they have done nothing with it to build or promote spinoff businesses around it.
• Buildings, museums, and a “sense of place” do not create economic development. Pro-business policies, lower tax rates, and increased density do create economic development. It is not a chicken v. egg argument…the artistic culture and beautiful buildings we celebrate here and declare as our meal ticket are a vestigial tail of our early economic boom times. When we again increase density by luring people into our region with the promise of decent schools, lower taxes, and jobs…I’ll give a shit about curb cuts, mixed use retail, faux two story buildings, and the constant cycle of business openings/closings on two streets in Buffalo.
• My Buffalonian of The Year award goes to Michael Gainer of Buffalo ReUse, not sure if his inclusion in this list of rants is a good or bad thing for him. However, each time I get the opportunity to catch up with Michael, I am impressed by his enthusiasm, energy, leadership skills, and results driven organization. He leads a talented group of volunteers who are bound and determined to take the communal liability of vacant properties and turn them into a model for job training, community pride, leadership development, and sustainable reuse. He stays out of the politics and focuses on results. However you can, please support their mission with a tax deductible donation, purchase of building materials at their new showroom, or volunteering your time.
• I am optimistic about Chris Collins. I will not be holding him to an arbitrarily high standard of “non-politician” nor will I be troubled if his first year in office is spent getting his feet wet and he makes a few missteps. I voted for him as I thought he would bring a “think different” approach to the office of Erie County Executive. If he is going to be successful, he’ll have to play the game of politics on some levels to accomplish anything. He is dealing with a partisan and entrenched legislature that the citizens resoundingly support (based on vote totals) and he is going to need to work with an overbearing and uncooperative Control Board to create some semblance of progress. It’s gonna be a tough year.
• I’m going to spend more time in 2008 documenting progress in Buffalo’s suburbs and the region as a whole. I am exhausted by the endless discussions and debates with the “creative class” when it comes to issues of progress, preservation, and economic development in our urban core. However, if someone wants to talk about a regional master plan for the waterfront, economic development, consolidation of IDA’s, rapid transit, abolition of the BMHA, regional housing plans, regional governmental consolidation of services and operations, count me in.
• I’m hoping 2008 is the year in which we all stop trying so hard to agree and we start demanding tangible results from our legislators, councilmen, elected and non-elected leaders, and community activists. Everyone should be open to criticism and we should all demand better.
• I’m hoping more people call me an asshole. I’m already on several political and cultural blacklists in this town due to my opinions and actions…let’s close that loop and make me persona non grata anywhere stupid ideas are thrown about.
• Finally, something I’ve been wanting to say to the citizens of Buffalo for a long, long time…inspired by the words of Tyler Durden.  Buffalo, you are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying northeastern urban city as found elsewhere. We do not have the market cornered on beautiful architecture, sense of place, good food, or anything else. We all love the shared context of having grown up here and we are proud to call our city home. It may be news to you, but the people of Chicago, Austin, Portland, Memphis, Louisville, Indianapolis, Dallas, and hundreds of other cities feel the same as you do…except for the fact that they are building, growing, and economically relevant to contemporary America. Meanwhile, we spend our time here looking to copy how other cities do things (ignorant of our own political/economic realities) and/or looking backward to a time when things were “good”. We need to shed this feeling that we are facing some sort of special situation and focus on creating wealth and looking ahead instead of behind. That is what will create a “New Buffalo”.

I know it seems like it’s all Chris Collins, all the time here at BuffaloGeek, but this is one of the final installments in our interview with the new Erie County Executive.  In this segment, Collins discusses his approach to negotiating with the public sector labor unions.   As we enter 2008, the contracts for the three major public sector unions at the county level have expired.  It’s time to renegotiate, well, in as much as the Taylor Law allows for renegotiation.

Collins’ approach appears to be firm; without a renegotiation of all contract terms, there will be no pay raises for county employees and they are free to continue working under their current and expired deals.  While this seems like a hard line, it also seems exceptionally fair.  Collins has identified the only leverage point that he has (raises) and will use it to reduce overall contract costs.

His administration will conduct a comparison of private sector benefit packages with public sector packages, define the delta between the two, and work towards compromise on give and take.  Any savings realized as a result of the new contracts will be split 50/50 between the public employees (in the form of pay raises) and the taxpayers.  Getting public sector contracts more inline with those normally found in the private sector is one of the primary reasons that Collins was elected, I don’t believe he will capitulate on this issue.

The problem in past negotiations has been that the county approached the unions with a single cost saving in mind and primarily worked on one issue.  This is not the way to negotiate anything, especially a union contract protected by the Taylor Law.  If the new administration intends to negotiate in good faith and evaluate all aspects of the existing contracts, cost savings are in the offing.  Offering cash incentives to reduce certain expensive parts of the benefit package while offering other inducements like professional training, certification, will result in a favorable outcome.

Will the unions play ball?

WNYM was on the scene to capture the full video of the inauguration of new Erie County Executive, Chris Collins on December 30th at the University at Buffalo’s Center For The Arts.

Pundit and I conducted a lengthy interview with Erie County Executive-Elect Chris Collins last week before the holiday break.  For ease of consumption, we broke the interview up into several small pieces.  This edition covers the issues of six sigma implementation and the use of take home cars and cell phones by county employees.

Department of Six Sigma

Perception of Abuse by County Employees In Regards To Cars and Phones

Even bloggers need a day off…

Today and tomorrow will be filled with Christmas tidings around Casa di Geek. Thus, I will most likely not be updating until Wednesday. In the meantime, enjoy some photos of Christmas cheer from our family to yours. Have a wonderful Christmas!

Read the rest of this entry »

A friend of mine sent me a link to an ad on the Toronto Craigslist that he found to be quite odd…it was an advertisement for a “Free Restaurant Business, Great Location” in Buffalo.  The text reads as follows:

I am offering a turn key (~*super famous*~) restaurant in the heart of the Elmwood Strip. Business is ready to go and includes a full commercial kitchen, bar, plasma TV’s, Xbox 360’s, live Goatse shows, etc. All that’s required is to sign a lease. First one ready to sign gets the business FREE! If you sign in the next 24 hours, you can also have a complementary hooker! She’s guaranteed to be STD free, but the bathroom seats in the restroom aren’t…. just don’t tell the health department! haha!

Prime commercial property located in the heart of the “Elmwood Strip” section of Buffalo, NY (a one hour and fifteen minuet drive from Toronto so don’t expect many Canucks but expect plenty of blue collar scum). Buffalo’s Elmwood Avenue is an urban village (not to be confused with ghetto slums) that beats off to a different drummer. The Elmwood Strip is a neighborhood that attracts people who set trends rather than follow them. It’s swarming with hookers and blow, DAMMIT. Why do you think it’s called the Elmwood Strip?

Please call Mr. Krinsky at (917) 856-8088 Also you must carry a basket of saurkraut when you come to sign, while holding your own sausage.

WTF?

Click the small picture below to see the full size…

Anyone have any details on this?  I’m not interested in buying, of course,  I just wonder why someone would put something like that up.

It’s been a decidedly slow news week around these parts as it would appear the politicians have taken some time off from their typical daily displays of incompetence to share a bit of the Yule Log and a nip of egg nog.

So, why don’t I do the same? I know my family likes to celebrate the holiday season perusing our collection of Soviet Christmas Cards and sharing a some of the ol’ fascist fruitcake. How about you? What are some of your family traditions? What did you have on your Christmas list this year? What are you getting for that special concerned citizen on your list?

So, in a thread over at Pundit’s blog, Harvey Garrett took serious umbrage with our satirical video that featured Alan and I as activists.

It was a sophomoric, satirical parody of an issue Alan and I had seriously debated and discussed on both of our blogs and on other local sites of interest.

At the conclusion of five issue specific postings by me, two from Alan, one interview with Brian Higgins, attendance at a Waterfront Coalition press conference, several phone calls with Harvey, and dozens of comments on a site we dare not mention (less the whiners come out)…we were a little tired of the topic. It seemed as if we were screaming common sense into the void and all we heard back was emotional dissonance.

So, we felt we had talked enough. Marc Odien and I went to a press conference on the waterfront held by the Waterfront Coalition that lasted 45 minutes. Seven members of the Coalition spoke, as I recall, as did Mickey “gearing up for my Higgins primary election” Kearns. It was so cold, windy, and miserable out there that the hard drive on our camera froze and our footage was lost. Seriously. Over a couple of slices of crappy pizza at the office, we decided to re-film the press conference in our own way and have some fun.

I knew when we posted it, the comments would range from “Hey, that’s funny” to “Alright, that was lame. Don’t quit your day jobs.”

I didn’t suspect the following comments:

Paul Francis writes:

This forum is Buffalo’s official sounding board for mere commentators whose self-annointed pursuit is bashing the folks who do actually work hard advocating for the city. These commentators - oh wait, pundits - then sheepishly shrug their shoulders when those advocates savor a victory. Hopefully this knock on the Waterfront Coalition is one of those instances.

Hell, some bloggers are actually out fighting for this town. None here!

Our self-anointed pursuit is to comment on things we find interesting and add to the discussion. Which we did on this particular issue ten times and with a podcast. We do not sheepishly shrug our shoulders, we doubt the outcomes and the means with which these Pyrrhic victories were achieved.

Paul is referencing our positions on Bass Pro (Just build it already) and the Outer Harbor (just build it already). Honestly, I have never seen more self congratulatory backpatting as I saw after Higgins and Brown announced that Bass Pro would be leaving the Central Wharf and be moved to the Auditorium site. An “agreement” to which Bass Pro has not publicly nor formally agreed to. The incongruous and illogical mockup of foam that was hastily crafted out of a wet dream does not reflect what could or will be built on the Inner Harbor.

Also, we’re not out fighting for this town? Seriously??? That’s the best you’ve got? When Marc Odien started WNYMedia.net in 2003, it was the only local outlet specifically designed to be the voice of the people. In 2004, Marc started community activism on the network with his event at the Central Terminal called “Rock, Rap, and Register”, which was designed to educate and register voters prior to the 2004 Presidential election. Marc has produced two critically acclaimed documentaries on voting and predatory house flipping and been an arbiter of progress and dissent since blogs were “underground”.

Proactively, members of this network and the company that owns it have managed/marketed/directed/participated in four well attended and well covered regional public forums on county government, regionalism, urban sprawl, and waterfront development.

We’ve served on the boards/served as directors of/or materially supported: the WNY Coalition For Progress, Buffalo Old Home Week, Revitalize Buffalo, Broadway Fillmore Alive, Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, Broadway Market, Housing Court Liaisons, Parkside Community Association, Community Music School, Buffalo ReUse, Buffalo Micro Parks, BANANA Rallies, Free Buffalo, Free New York, Primary Challenge, United Way, American Red Cross, YMCA, and the list goes on and on.

Several of our bloggers have run for public office, we are affiliated with progressive blogging politicians like Mark Poloncarz and Cindy Locklear and we work with the City/County governments and public authorities to increase access to information. We have provided an outlet for discussion of politics and community affairs, created some controversy ourselves, and have been lauded as a leader in citizen journalism.

We are progress and change, bitches. You might not like the kind of progress we represent, but we have tens of thousands of people who read our sites each month that seem to dig it. We’ve earned the right to have a little fun now and again.

I’m disappointed that I have to write this post. I’m disappointed that a simple disagreement on an issue brings out condescension from a self appointed arbiter of what “new media” is and should be.

Harvey Garrett writes:

What happened to you two (and WNYMedia)?

What happened is that Harvey doesn’t like our previously well described positions on the issue at hand, that’s what. A plan has been agreed to, evaluated, and sent our for bid. A group of people collectively decided that they did not like that plan. In this situation, the burden of proof is on the challenger who wishes to disrupt a completed process to justify said disruption with an argument more finely tuned than “Expressways are bad, we don’t like them”.

The waterfront coalition and those who claim to speak for them are engaging in what economists call “uncertain predictions”, those which we can not specify a reliable distribution of probabilities. The sum of the argument against the approved NYSDOT plan is emotion and opinion, not fact.

At it’s very essence, at it’s very core…the WC is a group of people who don’t deem this particular type of progress to be good progress. Really, it’s all quite subjective.

They deem it to be inadequate progress whereas I deem it to be completely satisfactory. Why is that? Because no one can clearly demonstrate how the current DOT plan disincents progress, development, or removal of the skyway with any reasoned logic, facts, or probability. The coalition believes that the current plan is “bad” and they believe it will lead to the extended life of the Skyway. There is no objective reality in that assessment, they just think its bad. Just as Higgins, Pundit, and I think it’s not.

It would be educational to determine what it is they want to accomplish on the waterfront. Access? Pedestrian friendly? Development? What else? Once that is determined, the burden of proof is on the WC to demonstrate what in the current plan or the NYDOT boulevard alternative plan either incents or disincents any of those goals from happening.

If the current plan can be objectively determined to disincent those critical factors from being accomplished, we have a discussion. If not, we have a subjective argument over what you like versus what I like, which is pointless.

Much like the effort I have spent in combating someone’s “disappointment” in my progressive and community driven organization.

It is one of the most common refrains at the end of every year during the Erie County budget process.

“Fully fund the Buffalo Convention and Visitor’s Bureau with their full share of the bed tax”

Since I don’t like to hear a problem restated over and over again without the proposition of a creative solution, I’m going to offer one…because that’s how I roll.

Why should the CVB be funded out of a tax that is collected by Erie County? The revenue stream sources from the hotels themselves and the County simply acts as a pass through, while taking a piece of the revenue as a vig.

Why not abolish the bed tax altogether?

Poking around the CVB’s website, I came across a series of videos that were recently completed which help tell the story of Buffalo-Niagara. By the way, if you want people to actually watch these videos, shorten up the vignettes and post them on sites around the web, not just on your own.  The only people who will find these videos will be people who were looking for them in the first place, viral marketing 101.   I digress…

At the end of the videos, the message “funding provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo” appears. This got me to thinking…clearly, there are other funding sources available that can be utilized to market the region. Reading through the Buffalo CVB 2006 Annual Business Review and their Form 990, the CVB accepted money from all the large foundations in Buffalo.

Rather than a lobbying effort centered on realizing a full share of the bed tax, why not argue to abolish the bed tax and move to a community funded marketing model?

The CVB is a 501c6 non-profit corporation and thus donations to the organization are not tax deductible. So, as a quasi Chamber of Commerce, they can move to a membership model that draws dues directly from the hoteliers and local arts institutions as the official marketing agency for the region. Require as part of membership that the hotels set aside the same percentage as they do today in taxes and give them directly to the CVB. Of course, the hoteliers will require transparent accounting and performance based budgeting to ensure their money is being spent properly. Something the County Legislature claims the CVB does not do currently.

Once the funding stream is in place, the CVB can continue to work with local partners to market the region. The percentage of revenue that will come into CVB coffers will be directly proportionate to the amount of revenue they are able to bring into the region as a result of their marketing efforts.

The CVB can enlist membership and support from local marketing companies like Crowley Webb, Eric Mower, and Stand Advertising to put together comprehensive plans for the region. They could also solicit small business membership and partner with BNE/BNP for funding from the business community. If we can get everyone pulling in the same direction, perhaps we’ll stop going in circles.

They can utilize local web/media talent from our universities to create viral marketing campaigns that create a people powered picture of Buffalo. Why use the county as a passthrough when a much more efficient model is available for implementation?

How will we pay for maintenance and operations of the Convention Center that currently comes from bed tax revenue? That’s the fly in my solution ointment. Erie County would have to move it into the general fund or work out a cooperative funding arrangement with the CVB wherein the County comes to the CVB for funding. See how I flipped it? Let’s talk about it.

Think differently.

In Iowa and New Hampshire, it seems that Republican candidates, except for McCain and Paul, are trying to prove who is the better christian. As if that should have some import into whether or not they are qualified to be President. So, if these guys are so hot for Jesus’ endorsement, doesn’t it make sense to look at Christ’s records on the issues?

A sample of the christianist pandering in this classic Huckaschmuck commercial…

Never mind my reputation as a shady and unethical governor with a weak record on crime, education, ethics…I’m a Christian! That liberal Romney believes in weird Mormon shit! God Bless!

You might discern that I hold a significant amount of disdain for Huckabee and you would be correct. In my estimation, Huckabee represents the lowest level of the “New Conservatism” that drove me away from the Republican Party. The national Republican party is now the home of torture defenders and candidates who are more interested in faith than small government conservative credentials. Christopher Hitchens (a writer with whom I have a love/hate relationship) sums it up better than I could in his latest dispatch on Slate:

However, what Article VI does not do, and was never intended to do, is deny me the right to say, as loudly as I may choose, that I will on no account vote for a smirking hick like Mike Huckabee, who is an unusually stupid primate but who does not have the elementary intelligence to recognize the fact that this is what he is. My right to say and believe that is already guaranteed to me by the First Amendment. And the right of Huckabee to win the election and fill the White House with morons like himself is unaffected by my expression of an opinion.

This past Sunday, it was an East Side vs. West Side football game in the snow at Buffalo ReUse HQ on Northampton Street.

Upon arrival, players were decorated with war paint by the lovely Caesandra from Buffalo ReUse.

Once we were painted up, the teams were set up and we went into gridiron battle. In an effort to not get anyone killed nor look like sissies playing two handed touch, we chose to play “wrap up” football. A “wrap up” tackle supposedly halts the forward progress of the individual driving towards the end zone. In practice, it looked a lot more like this:

Yes, that is Michael Gainer of BuffaloReUse putting me on my ass as I broke free for what was supposed to be a highlight reel “rumblin’ bumblin’ stumblin’” touchdown run.

It was a great time and it was a unique way for various groups working to make a Better Buffalo to have some laughs, share some chili, and have a blast. PUSH Buffalo, Habitat for Humanity, and Urban Roots were all represented on the field as was Buffalo ReUse and WNYMedia.

If you’re looking to join in the Buffalo ReUse experience and volunteer, they are always looking for a few good men and women. They can use help in every area of the organization, from office work to hands on construction work. If you’re interested in signing up to join the most fun loving group of volunteers in Buffalo, hit them up on their volunteer homepage.

A couple of weeks ago, Colin Dabkowski of The Buffalo News wrote about the ongoing financial troubles of Studio Arena Theater.

Two weeks ago, in the face of an unthinkable closure, an emergency fundraising effort managed to pull in about $225,000 from a combination of foundations, theater board members and local banks, according to Studio Arena board President Daniel A. Dintino.

That money, according to Dintino and CEO and artistic director Kathleen Gaffney, will ensure that the theater produces at least its next two shows: the family-friendly Christmas play “Indian Blood,” which is scheduled to begin in previews Tuesday, and January’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“This kind of operation, even with the cuts that I made throughout last year, having [only] one set designer and so forth, it’s still too expensive,” she said. “And the audience is just not, they’re not coming.”

Of course, this begs the question; Why aren’t the audiences coming? After sitting through a tedious and mediocre performance of A.R. Gurney’s “Indian Blood”, a play designed to appeal to the “Old Buffalo” set, I had my own ideas. I had intended to write about them last week, but time got away from me…

This morning, as I was flipping through my Sunday edition of The Buffalo News, I came across two letters to the editor on this issue. The first letter directly blames Ms. Gaffney for the current troubles of the theater:

Gaffney’s choices during her tenure have left my husband comatose. The beautiful and imaginative sets have been replaced with “artsy” attempts at social and emotional lectures. There’s a reason Gaffney doesn’t have a contract. There must be many others who feel as I do, and we have shown our displeasure by withholding our presence and our money.

The second letter blames the selection of plays (something for which Ms. Gaffney is also responsible):

I have been attending plays at Studio Arena since it was on Lafayette Avenue, and I cannot remember ever attending just one play in any given season, as I am doing this season — A.R. Gurney’s play. And it isn’t because of a cutback in the marketing department staff, but the lousy selection of plays that I assume Gaffney had some responsibility for. For Gaffney, the CEO and artistic director, not to realize this, and to blame it instead on the theatergoing public like myself, for “not showing up for the shows,” is ridiculous. I believe it is time for Gaffney to exit left, before it is too late.

Is it the selection of plays that is the reason for the massive drop in attendance? Is it the reduced funding from public revenue sources? After all, looking at the IRS Form 990 for Studio Arena Theater’s 2006 tax year is an education in the trouble the theater finds itself.

Might it be that the local economy is incapable of supporting a local theater company at $52 per ticket?  Might it be not the play selection or the activities of the CEO/Artistic Director that have lead to the marginalization of the theater but rather the moribund local economy on the whole?  There are numerous local theaters that rely on private and foundation donors and the dwindling corporate patrons pay the excessive “Buffalo Tax” of supporting hundreds of worthy non-profit corporations.  Perhaps these funding sources are stretched to the limit?  Has the market of supply and demand spoken and that we perhaps have one too many local and regional theaters?

A show at the Irish Classical Theater or Alleyway features many of the same local actors and actresses and a ticket can be had for much less money.  Shea’s brings in the bombastic national shows that titillate the untraditional theater crowd which leaves Studio Arena outcornered on price by the lower end theaters and outclassed by its neighbor on Main Street at Shea’s.

What can be done to save the theater?  Does it need to be “saved”?  Is our local theater scene a reflection of the region on the whole or is it simply incompetent management that has doomed Studio Arena to begging for handouts?

The Buffalo Youth Media Institute is a community history and youth media program sponsored by Squeaky Wheel that is geared towards teens living in Buffalo and the surrounding areas. The Institute comes together in the heart of downtown to immerse young filmmakers in a culturally rich and diverse area that is their history and future.

The institute combines media production, media literacy, and cultural studies in its 9-month curriculum. Youth producers, selected through a competitive application process, work with professional filmmakers and historians to create their own self-directed documentaries about the culture and history of the Buffalo area. The 2007 program featured documentary shorts on the people, places, and issues surrounding the Buffalo Waterfront. Two videos stand out in my opinion that really paint a picture of the current situation…

Time for a Change - Jesse Deganis-Librera

Enthusiasm’s Defeat & Consequential Rejuvenation of Spirit - Temitope Olutunmbi

A CFEA press conference today regarding our master plan for Buffalo’s waterfront and the City of Buffalo as a whole.

The Public Policy Institute of New York State, the research arm of the state Business Council, released a study Tuesday comparing average annual wages, electricity costs, commercial rents and tax burdens across the United States.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, New York ranked high on the list of most expensive places to do business in America, finishing second to be exact. Who are we behind? Hawaii. Of course, Hawaii is a couple of thousand miles from the Continental United States and costs of business due to that separation are understandably high. New York…What’s our excuse?

In other, surely unrelated news…

The state’s workforce has swelled to its highest level in more than 12 years, putting more pressure on the state budget, according to a report issued Wednesday by a conservative think tank.

The state had 235,014 full-time equivalent workers on the payroll at the end of September, 3,158 more than last year. That’s the most of any year since 1994.

Also, in a surprising twist, two senior economists find that higher taxes lead to lower population growth…

 A record eight million Americans moved from one state to another last year. Where is everyone going, and why?

The winners in this contest for the most valuable resource on the globe — human capital — are generally the states with the lowest tax, spending and regulatory burdens. The biggest losers are almost all congregated in the Northeast and Midwest. Liberals contend that tax rates, regulations, forced union laws and runaway government spending don’t matter when it comes to creating jobs, high incomes and a higher quality of life. People tell us otherwise by voting with their feet.

Over the past decade, the 10 states with the highest taxes and spending, and the most intrusive regulations, have half the population and job growth, and one-third slower growth in incomes, than the 10 most economically free states.

For an education on why people are streaming out of New York, read the whole article.