Last week the New York Senate voted for a holiday on the state’s gas tax, calling for suspension of the government markup during the summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Sure, it’s most definitely an election year tactic by the Republican Senate, a sort of sales gimmick for incumbency, but nonetheless it is still a welcomed and much-needed gesture.
The Democrat-led Assembly, on the other hand, doesn’t see any value in neutralizing the tax.
At first glance, one might see this as petty party politics. It’s not. This contrast in opinion is founded in the rift that separates upstate New York from the New York City metro region. The Assembly’s 150-person membership is dominated by the voices of downstate officials who control the Assembly both in numbers and in leadership (Speaker Shelly Silver is from Manhattan). It’s this urban-centric mindset that has allowed the Assembly to dictate what happens in the state in a manner that is routinely beneficial to the downstate region and detrimental to we here in upstate. The denial of the gas tax holiday exemplifies this situation. It shows in all its glory the self-centeredness so common to the Democratic Assembly.
upstate folk understand what it means to be a New Yorker (as in the Big Apple). We can’t help but be because New York City arrogantly looks at itself as the place to be and it does a good job in spreading that boast. Its mystique and way of life have been force fed to us through the years in news and entertainment media. They, on the other hand, choose not to be so knowledgeable about what happens beyond the Catskills, having nothing but complete indifference towards the way of life in the rest of the state.
It’s from this that they see no need in cutting the price at the pump, even if temporarily. The residents of the metro area do most of their travel via public transportation like subways or buses because the structure of the city and potential for congestion (and lost time) makes it the most logical thing to do. Many of them don’t own cars and, if they do, it’s rarely put to use and only for short distances. So, gas prices have almost no impact on the constituents of the downstate politicians.
They look at this as the norm and choose not to be empathetic to upstate needs, feigning ignorance to the very different ways of transportation here. With population bases spread out, no singularly-dominating city on the landscape, temperate job prospects and minimally-convenient public transportation, workers here have no choice but to commute by car. The average Western New York worker drives 23 minutes to the job and, according to federal statistics, over the course of the year he/she will see no more than 10 total hours in delays, meaning that we all travel great distances (I drive 25,000 miles per year and know many who do the same) and consume plenty of gasoline.
To us mobile New Yorkers, any savings we can get at the pump are vital to our financial well-being. The Senate’s bill would spare consumers about 34 cents per gallon. Over the course of tax holiday — when the standard commute mileage is supplemented with numerous summer pursuits — upstate families can save anywhere from $160 to $320 depending on their driving habits. Those are significant savings, especially now, when not only are gas prices unreasonably high but so are those for things we’ve always taken for granted as being affordable (basic life necessities like groceries).
Those savings brought on by the tax holiday don’t have the same fiscal importance to the New York City crowd. To them it’s out of sight and out of mind. That’s why the bill will never make it through the Assembly ... it’s a non-issue to them personally and empathetically. It’s a perfect snapshot of how political power is doled out in Albany: As usual, the downstate region wins and we lose because “we don’t matter.” They are allowed to thrive while many Western New York families actually struggle to survive.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.
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Discussion
May 13, 2008
CONFER: Downstate interests cause gas pains
- Bob Confer
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CONFER: Climate security and economic run
We live in an era of much unrest in which people fear for their security, be it socially (terror threats), economically (recession), or environmentally (global warming). Feeding off this, our elected officials have been quite successful in using fear-mongering to introduce endless amounts of legislation that do much more harm than good.
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CONFER: Downstate interests cause gas pains
Last week the New York Senate voted for a holiday on the state’s gas tax, calling for suspension of the government markup during the summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day). Sure, it’s most definitely an election year tactic by the Republican Senate, a sort of sales gimmick for incumbency, but nonetheless it is still a welcomed and much-needed gesture.
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CONFER: Catholics and the almighty dollar
When I tell people I live in Gasport many of them respond with a resounding, “That’s God’s Country!”
That, it is. It’s a beautiful area and a great place to live. But, come June, it will be a little less godly. St. Mary’s Church, the sole Roman Catholic in our hamlet, is one of almost 90 Catholic churches that will be — or have been — closed or merged by the Buffalo Diocese. -
CONFER: Young blood needed in community
Last week’s column was probably the most popular one I’ve written. My inbox was flooded with e-mails from all across the United States, everyone to a person agreeing with my analysis of how our state’s political climate makes it darn near impossible to live and work in the Empire State, in the end forcing our dear family and friends to greener pastures far away.
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CONFER: Why your loved ones have left NY
The chances are very good that you know someone who has left New York. According to the US Census Bureau, from July 2006 to July 2007 the Buffalo-Niagara region lost 5,166 people and since 2000 the Rochester area has lost over 7,300 of its residents.
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CONFER: Values do matter in public service
Public officials and sex. They seem to go hand in hand. It’s probably because absolute power not only corrupts absolutely, it perverts absolutely, too. Throughout history those in power have abused it to satisfy their most carnal urges, either gaining praise for their actions (JFK and Marilyn) or having their reigns rocked by controversy (Bill Clinton and Monica).
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CONFER: The importance of Tom Christy
I’ll admit, at times my columns can be a little dry. When it comes to expounding on government it can be difficult to make the subject matter palatable to the average person. Government affects every one of us, but, boy, can it ever be boring. People can only hear so much about how government works, where it is broken and how it can be fixed.
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CONFER: The new governor's black eye
When Eliot Spitzer was elected to office in 2006 by a record-setting 69 percent of the vote, his massive victory was declared a mandate of the people. The voters wanted serious change, someone who would come into Albany and clean-up all the dirt. Here it is, not even a year and a half later, and the man who fed that incredible optimism has proven to be no better than the rest and, actually, dirtier than most. Spitzer has left office with a reign that will be recognized as the greatest political letdown in the history of the state.
- CONFER: No new taxes — just bigger ones Last week in the state capital the legislature and Governor Spitzer were arguing over what the budget deficit would be for fiscal year 2008-2009. This wasn’t quibbling over pennies; their differences were in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Spitzer believes the deficit will be $4.8 billion.
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CONFER: The candidates and American jobs
“It’s the economy, stupid.”
That phrase, made famous by James Carville for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign 16 years ago, still rings true to this day. It always has and always will. - More Bob Confer Headlines
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