As I wrote here, one of New York City’s biggest economic problems is a shortage of jobs accessible to the unskilled, and thus its low level of employment and labor force participation. In many ways, Upstate New York is the city’s mirror image. It has a lower poverty rate and a higher employment rate, but it has a shortage of high-paid jobs and jobs for young college graduates, the very economic base New York City – primarily Manhattan – has in abundance. Among those growing up Upstate, the average person completing their education probably has more of it than the national average. It is migration – the type of people who move out, and the type of people who don’t move in – that is responsible for the fact that the share of Upstate residents with college diplomas is lower than in the rest of the state. Upstate college graduates, and those with exceptional non-scholastic skills, tend to leave, and few arrive from elsewhere. That is the real problem in Upstate New York.

As I wrote here, one of New York City’s biggest economic problems is a shortage of jobs accessible to the unskilled, and thus its low level of employment and labor force participation. In many ways, Upstate New York is the city’s mirror image. It has a lower poverty rate and a higher employment rate, but it has a shortage of high-paid jobs and jobs for young college graduates, the very economic base New York City – primarily Manhattan – has in abundance. Among those growing up Upstate, the average person completing their education probably has more of it than the national average. It is migration – the type of people who move out, and the type of people who don’t move in – that is responsible for the fact that the share of Upstate residents with college diplomas is lower than in the rest of the state. Upstate college graduates, and those with exceptional non-scholastic skills, tend to leave, and few arrive from elsewhere. That is the real problem in Upstate New York.

As I wrote here, one of New York City’s biggest economic problems is a shortage of jobs accessible to the unskilled, and thus its low level of employment and labor force participation. In many ways, Upstate New York is the city’s mirror image. It has a lower poverty rate and a higher employment rate, but it has a shortage of high-paid jobs and jobs for young college graduates, the very economic base New York City – primarily Manhattan – has in abundance. Among those growing up Upstate, the average person completing their education probably has more of it than the national average. It is migration – the type of people who move out, and the type of people who don’t move in – that is responsible for the fact that the share of Upstate residents with college diplomas is lower than in the rest of the state. Upstate college graduates, and those with exceptional non-scholastic skills, tend to leave, and few arrive from elsewhere. That is the real problem in Upstate New York.

I am a registered democrat; I vote in all of my party’s primaries. I generally vote along party lines in most general elections. I would say that I am over 90% loyal to my party line. I am not voting for Alan Hevesi this year. In last night’s gubernatorial debate Eliot Spitzer was wrong not to call for Hevesi’s resignation as New York State Comptroller. With Hevesi admitting to having taken a public employee and using him as a personal chauffeur (among other tasks) for his wife; and doing this for years, on public time and with public dimes, has rendered Hevesi unfit to hold this office. John Faso was correct in calling for his resignation. Hevesi has abused the public trust.

A place for those who want to send a message by voting for Alan Hevesi and Jeanine Pirro on the same line.

Once again a helpful reader has pointed out some errors I made in the Voter’s Guides I published before the primary. The specific complaint concerns the 74^th Assembly District. I had written:

“Former Council aide Gur Tsabar loses a Council race and opens a blog; former Council aide Brian Kavanagh loses the same race and runs for Assembly. Which one do you think is having more fun?”
Obviously, the insinuation I’d made has been proven incorrect.

For an additional correction concerning this race, click here.

On the Friday before the Tuesday (Election Day), the Christian Cultural Center located on Flatlands Avenue, near Starett City, Brooklyn, held a candidates forum. I am told that this church of Rev. Bernard has a membership list of about twenty thousand people; thus as could be expected, many candidates showed up. All those running for Congress in Districts 10 and 11 were there, with the exception of Ed Towns. I am also told that this wasn’t the first time that Ed Towns refused to debate his opponents in a race, that it happened in 1992, 1998 and also in the year 2000. He was re-elected in all those races. Does Ed know something that we don’t? What do you think?

September 25, 2001 was the only time Alan Hevesi ever wanted my vote that he didn’t get it. On September 11th, 2001, I rose early in the morning and voted for Hevesi for mayor, although I knew he’d lose. There was going to be a run-off, and I’d then get a chance to re-evaluate, so why not go for my first choice?

Of course, my vote for Hevesi that day never got counted, and newly sobered by the reality of what had just occurred and the enormity of what lay ahead, I decided to get serious in the rescheduled primary two weeks later. Between Freddy Ferrer’s insensitively premature remarks about moving businesses out of Lower Manhattan, and his public ass-kissing of Al Sharpton, I decided the run-off was now and switched my vote to Mark Green. It was the right thing to do, and I felt terrible. That November, Hevesi appeared on the Liberal line and I voted against him again, although this time, so did he.

It now seems likely that that this year was the last where candidates for New York Sate Supreme Court Justices will be chosen by conventions. This is a result of 2 Federal Court decisions that ruled the present convention system illegal.

Despite talk of switching to an appointive system, the most likely change is that candidate for Supreme Court will, starting next year, be picked in Primary elections. That is because a change to an appointive system requires amending the State Constitution and that will take at least three years.

While many reformers and good government types who sincerely want to have a high quality court system have proposals to improve the way these judges will be elected (public financing, smaller districts, independent screening panels), these changes are so controversial that I doubt the State Legislature will agree to them.

On September 19, I announced: “I’ll be going on modified High-Holy-hiatus until 9/25, although I reserve the right to come back and comment on anything that interests me and won’t keep until then.”

I kept fairly silent, not posting my own pieces, and minimally sticking my nose into the business of others. The one “Room 8” entry I chose not to ignore was this pissing match between EnWhySea Wonk and Rock Hackshaw in which, in keeping with the spirit of the holidays,  I tried to play peacemaker, to no avail, telling them that while a little towel snapping in the Room 8 Locker Room was to be expected (and if one couldn't  take it, they could always join the Chorus instead), if this sort of street brawling continued, I'd have to see to it that Coach benched the both of em.