​It is that time of the year when everyone is supposed to be filled with joy, and candy canes and ornament-covered evergreen trees are found in stores and in people’s homes. Throughout the season, the aim is to focus on Jesus’ birth, family, and the little things in life without the stress (tell this to shoppers scrambling around looking for gifts for loved ones). With music and bells filling the air, Upstate New York (New Amsterdam) has a much different situation, as the political environment is much colder and snowier than a five-foot storm in Buffalo. Albany may be the de jure capital of the state, but do the people outside of New York City really have a say in what happens within the borders?
For years, high taxes and burdensome regulations have destroyed the economy of New Amsterdam and created ghost towns in once-thriving industrial cities. From the Mohawk Valley and across the Erie Canal to Central and Western New York to the Capital Region to the Southern Tier to the Adirondacks and the Tug Hill Plateau to the Hudson Valley, many places have become depressed and a shadow of their former glory (so much so that even The Simpsons joked about it). Yet, with New York City sucking out the wealth of Upstate citizens because of its superior numbers that contribute to domination over the governorship and state legislature (making us a one-party state), there is no realistic political future for those of us who remain.
Therefore, what is needed at this point is a revolution, digital or otherwise, where we the people take back power from the imperial usurpers who have stolen our land, values, and less-urban culture and given us the aptly-named Empire State that we see now. However, if we sit on our couches, never touch a keyboard, do not attend rallies and meetings, and quietly accept the living conditions in which we have been subjected to, things will never change. Find ways to participate, even if it is to share content online. Rise up and pressure politicians to alter the landscape, and take up the pen and start uniting people to the cause. Get them fired up and ready to take action.
People often complain about how they have no power and are governed by New York City, but they do nothing in response (just empty words). When things get too bad, they flee the state and move on to greener and less snowy pastures, leaving behind the chance at making a better future in the land that they were given. Do not let the evil one-party government win, as we need to fight back and take what is rightfully ours. If you must write a letter to Santa Claus asking for separation from New York City, so be it. Though we do not have reindeer (caribou) here, the elves could harness up the white-tailed deer to deliver this gift, as these beasts seem unafraid to dart across roads in front of cars (if you know, you know).
Never give up hope, and with your help we can put an end to this madness and bring some cheer back to our great land. Please consider stopping by our website, and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thank you for reading,
Craig Peterson, Jr.
Divide NYS Treasurer