Oink Oink: The Pigs Gone Downstate

First let me start with I apologize to anyone who reads my blog regularly. I have not been posting as often as usual due to being out of town and being busy working two jobs.

With that said, lets discuss the loss of Pork (aka Member-items) to Upstate New York. Newspapers across the state are reporting that Upstate New York has seen a record loss in member item allocated dollars. Somehow this is a suprise to them.

Yes, it is undeniable that every single leader, Republican and Democrat, in the state houses are from downstate resulting in more money flowing to the city and surrounding areas. Yet this is not the sole reason why money is going downstate.

Pork dollars have begun to go downstate because downstate puts more money into the state. Overall downstate puts in way more in taxes than upstate. So, if they recieve more pork, it is not completely unexpected.

Also, Downstate is haveing a more severe recession then upstate areas. Now, i am not saying that upstate is not having problems, it is. However, the majority of people working downstate work in banks, on wall street, in short, the financial sector. This is where the biggest hurt happend. So, more of them are losing their jobs. Which means they will need more pork to support their municipal goings on.

More importantly, the question needs to be asked about how pork is allocated. Yes, it is unfair. Yes, some years minority members do not recieve the money they need. And yes, a new process is needed. Personally, i am not sure what that is.

However, if i had to take a stab in the dark it would be taking all the projects and members asking for pork and do a needs analysis for the community. I gurantee that if this is done less pork will be doled out and when it is it will have a larger impact. but thats just my thoughts…

Local Vs. State Control

So, since there is little to dicuss in the about legislation or any proactive action by our state government i thought this would be a good time to talk about something that has plauged New York, and most states, for awhile now. People have been squabbling about who should get to decide how to run their communities, Local governments or State Governments.

Thos who support local government control argue that the state is out of touch of the needs of their community and what their community needs. Often times that is followed up with the argument that small towns and small cities do not have the power that larger cities have and therefore their power is even more reduced.

I even agree with some of these claims. Local governments are much more in touch with communities than state governments are. However, here is where I begin to disagree with the fundemental argument that local governments should have more power.

Local governments and State Governments do not share a federal system like state and federal government. Those powers not reserved by the states do not fall to the communitites. The states are responsible for governing their respective territories completely. In other words, state governments have the final say in every action taken by any local entity. Any and every State Law usurps any and every local law.

Also, on a more commen sense level, what would happen if every local municipality had the power to have conflicting laws and conflicting reasons for such laws. How would the judiciary decide any ruling opinions? It would be anarchy. There could be no precedents to be set, which would impeed on higher courts from decideing other cases.

So, on the mere common sense level the idea of local governments running themselves fails. Which means I do not really have to get into the fact that local governments have proven time and again that without state intervention they would fall apart and not be able to do anything. So, we have no other way to conclude this than with…fix the state government because the local governments are purely advisory. Without our ruling body the state will fall into anarchy.