Published: December 13, 2008 11:22 pm      

LUCINSKI: Home for the holidays

It’s a lament that’s often heard in Niagara County and Western New York: Our kids had to move away to find work; now the children and grandkids live out of town and we almost never see them.

First, let me establish credentials that should give me standing to address the issue. We have two sons, both of whom graduated from the Grand Island school system. Yes, both moved out of town; one to the Washington/Baltimore area, the other to St. Louis. Each in his own way has become successful; self-supporting, no criminal records, that sort of thing. We are very proud of both of them.

Having said that, you might think than I’d be wringing my hands, hoping that somehow, some day, some way one or both would return to our area to live and comfort us in our old age.

Not a chance.

It’s not that I wouldn’t like them to drop by from time to time to visit their mother and me. I’d like nothing better. But to do that, they’d have to live in New York state. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially those I care about.

Frankly folks, we’ve made a mess of it, a big mess. We have a beautiful region. Sure, the winters can be a little tough and much too long. Other that that, the geography, topography, scenery and climate are terrific. We’ve discussed in this space previously that Niagara County can be a grand place to live.

The problem is it’s part of New York state, land of taxes and layers and layers of local government duplicating functions and gobbling up tax dollars along the way. And in taxing us to death, state and local governments have killed the golden goose. As we all know, the former Empire State’s economy is a shell of its former self. When the economy started to change from an industrial to a service economy and it was easy for businesses to pick up and move, they did just that, taking their employment opportunities with them.

And now, because even all that cash we’ve been funneling to Albany all those years was apparently not enough, we’re being bombarded with doom and gloom scenarios concerning upcoming massive budget deficits in state government. That should effectively halt any thoughts of cutting taxes in the foreseeable future. It will mean the worst of both worlds: Lowered levels of service and high taxes. It’s not exactly an atmosphere conducive to getting a solid start on the road to a productive life.

We, the baby boom generation and those a bit older and younger, have screwed it up because we let it happen. There have been plenty of opportunities to change course, to get rid of the tax-and-spend politicians on both the local and state levels. But because things were going OK for us on a personal level, we ignored it and thought the good times would roll forever.

Those good times have rolled to a stop. Now we’re left with a population much older than the national average because much of our younger generation has fled to greener pastures. About the only thing those wishing for the return of their children can hope for is that the recession now hitting the rest of the country forces the youngsters to come back and live with or near mom and dad out of economic necessity. That’s not exactly a wish that promotes a strong, healthy society.

What do we do about it? About all that’s left is radical, major surgery. Because upstate and downstate New York have such differing interests and populations, they should be separate states. That way each can pursue its own agenda. It would give both a fighting chance for success. And it just might give our kids a real reason to come home, and not just for the holidays.

Dick Lucinski is the managing editor of the Niagara Gazette. His columns appear on Wednesday and Sunday.