More thoughts

...and they're harsh ones.

For all those that insult the state of New York, you're insulting my home. I know, it might sound pathetic for some of you anti-New Yorkers, but I love the state I live in. This is my home. And although for work I might have to temporarily call other places home, my true home will be in the Empire State.

For those of you who call Western New York home, trust me, although I have never resided in that part of the state, I wish and I plan to, one day, when I have the money, I will pour a whole lot of money into cities like Lockport, Batavia, Rochester, Niagara Falls, and last but the most important, Buffalo. I want to restore Upstate New York to the charm it had back in the 1950s. Screw nations with lower labor costs. We were here first, and goddamit, if I have to, I will find some way to turn New York into a paradise. If I have things my way, I will tear up the current state constitution and force the Legislature to write a new one, one that will allow New York to be competitive again. I vow to be a compassionate Carl Paladino, with some of the man's better ideas and most of my own.

It literally pains me to see Buffalo die a slow painful death. It's like suffering cancer for the last half of your life. But I hope that one day that cancer that is killing Buffalo is cured.

In my personal book, I believe that progress doesn't mean leaving aspects of the past behind. Upstate New York can grow, but it needs the right reform and tools to do so. Governor Cuomo has laid the groundwork. Although he I don't think is as popular as he was at the beginning of the year, he's still (compared to most governors) a popular governor. He's had shit thrown on him this year like no elected official. He's seen Sandy destroy a significant chunk of his native Queens (of which I am also a native of).

But to see cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cleveland look like literal ghost towns is eery. I want to move to Buffalo when I make it rich and clean it up a little.

Everyone knows my strong dislike of hipsters. But thank God for them also. They've turned dying neighborhoods in Brooklyn into hot properties. Buffalo is next on that list. My generation hates the suburbs. Many of us want to live and raise our kids in the city.

Another thing: the United States Postal Service came to be what it is today because of a postal strike in 1970. I'm pro-union, but there are some agencies whose strikes are extremely disruptive to the functionality of our nation. Of course, as this article shows, CNN's Opinion area is one of the most frightening parts of the site. And a lot of people are going to be screwed if the USPS goes under. I still get Christmas cards, and one day I want to send them out too.

I'm also still very worried but also somewhat (causiously) optimistic about the idea of the Buffalo Bills staying in Buffalo. It's a team that makes money. Not much, but it makes money. I believe in fate, and I believe the year Ralph Wilson passes away will be the year Buffalo has a winning season.

Also, the "assholes" who want to shut down the Adirondack Scenic Railroad have their 10,000th signature according to the Press-Republican. I say too bad. Train are more important, especially since once you tear up train track, it's almost unheard up to put them back in. People in this country can't give two fucks about public transportation. I'm with the Adirondack Scenic Railroad on this one. The right of way is just big enough to have a trail right next to the tracks. And there's been talk of an overnight Lake Placid-NYC train. I understand that for many the trail is more important. I strongly dislike people who want to tear out train tracks only to put in recreational trails. It's not practical to travel a couple hundred miles by bicycle.

I'll be honest though. I am a VERY firm believer in people relying on one another for things. We need to be a more interdependent society. The days of "dog eat dog" need to come to an end. I'm a conservative in the fact of going back to the way we used to do certain things (reusable diapers, taking public transportation, living in cities). I'm just saying, but the suburbs are the thing destroying America.