The new upstate state looks red. 
Posted on 02/27/2019 11:47:11 AM PST by Impala64ssa
In New York state government news, the topic of splitting the state into separate upstate and downstate entities has popped up again at the Capitol.
A lawmaker representing a suburban-rural district in eastern New York this week proposed legislation that would authorize a study into the up-front and long-term costs of separating the upstate and downstate regions into two states, along with the legal implications and economic impact.
Meanwhile, lawmakers will return to Albany on Tuesday for a three-day workweek, their first since the Legislature convened Jan. 9 for its 2019 session.
Here’s a look at stories making news and upcoming events:
SPLITTING THE STATE:
The idea of splitting upstate New York and the New York City metro area into two separate states comes up periodically in Albany, never getting beyond the proposal stage. Republican state Sen. Daphne Jordan says it’s time to at least examine what a split would look like — and cost.
“Let’s look at it, get definitive figures,” said Jordan, from Halfmoon in Saratoga County.
Jordan’s measure would create a 15-member working group overseen by the state comptroller’s office, tasked with figuring out the cost of separating long-established state agencies, settling land disputes, and examining constitutional steps needed to split the state. The group would then present the results of its study to the governor and Legislature. Ultimately, it would take an act of Congress to split New York into two states.
Jordan’s measure defines downstate as all five New York City boroughs, Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties, and Westchester and Rockland counties. The state’s 53 other counties would be considered upstate.
“There’s all kind of things being passed (in Albany) that aren’t necessarily of upstate interest,” said Jordan, a first-year lawmaker whose 43rd Senate district covers parts of Saratoga, Rensselaer and Washington counties and all of Columbia County.
Splitting upstate from downstate has been discussed on and off in Albany for years. Supporters of the idea have pointed to the growing divide between the two regions’ political and social leanings.
Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1 statewide, with most of that dominant voting block concentrated in the New York City metro area. With every statewide elected office, the Assembly and now the Senate controlled by Democrats, Republican upstate lawmakers say their region’s needs will be ignored more than ever.
In 2015, some upstate residents angry over earlier passage of gun-control laws and a ban on hydraulic fracturing proposed that their towns along the Pennsylvania border succeed and become part of the Keystone State. Four years later, full Democratic control in Albany has resulted in a string of progressive laws being passed already this year, fostering a growing feeling among many in upstate New York that it’s time to seriously look into splitting off upstate from downstate.
“The impulse is understandable. There are real differences between upstate and downstate,” said E.J. McMahon of the Albany-based Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank.
But given the upstate region’s lagging economy and shrinking tax base, McMahon cautions that losing access to downstate-generated revenues would be felt from the Adirondacks to Buffalo.
“Upstate would need to do a really significant reset of the way government is funded and what it spends, and upstate politicians have not exactly been clamoring for the reforms that it would take to make that happen,” he said. Jordan’s measure doesn’t have a sponsor in the Assembly.
Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, called Jordan’s proposal “the Godzilla of pandering.”
She responded by saying she loves monster movies and comparing the impact of the governor’s policies on New York as “the curse of Dr. Cuomostein.”
BACK IN ALBANY: The Legislature is scheduled to return to Albany for its first three-day workweek of the 2019 session.
So far, other than the Legislature’s brief formal opening day on Jan. 9, lawmakers have been in session for two-day stretches five times. They’re scheduled to be in session this week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a 16-day March work schedule ahead of the new state budget deadline of April 1.
There was a flurry of action during the session’s first month, with lawmakers passing legislation strengthening gun control rules, protecting abortion rights and relaxing the statute of limitations for child molestation victims to seek criminal charges or file lawsuits against their alleged abusers. All have been signed into law by Cuomo.
The pace has slowed some, however, as lawmakers try to reach agreements on a number of pending issues, including criminal justice reform, while continuing to negotiate with the Cuomo administration over his $175 billion budget proposal.
Yeah, 2 states: New New York and Shitholia on the Hudson.
No. People need to learn how to get along with others before this is even considered. If anything, secede NYC out of the US.
New York is bleeding taxpayers. Splitting won’t help.
OTOH, if California wants to secede, I’m all for it.
That assumes that Upstate would follow the same insane policies Downstate would. Upstate won’t be that stupid.
We have nothing to lose. I say we give it a try. :-)
Sounds like a liberal scam to acquire 2 more senators and too more congresstards.
If we split and our new capital was filled with conservatives, we’d stay.
NYS has lost almost half its House seats over the last 60 years. And Upstate’s 2 senators would likely cancel Downstate’s.
I am all in favor of any Democrat controlled state splitting into two states as long as it results in one Democrat controlled state and one Republican controlled state. Let the rural Republicans who have no voice in their state governments go free! Zeroing out two existing Democrat Senators with two new Republican ones is just an added bonus.
Of course, that is not what would happen. The whole point is to carefully gerrymander the division so that one Democrat hellhole becomes two Democrat hellholes.
The new upstate state looks red.
New York and Illinois are good states held captive by giant liberal metro areas.
Land area vs People
Would the blue areas (Buffalo, Albany etc) out vote the read areas?
The leftists will never let go of their hostages.
AND wall it off with at least 50 foot concrete walls. Anyone attempting to leave must be certified as a long-time conservative. All other scum, stay in Shitornia!
How about splitting the state, and then giving the least number of voters the most electoral votes, and the most populous areas like NYC the least number of votes. That should make it interesting!
With Fracking and a sane tax policy, upstate could have a manufacturing renaissance.
North of Rockland and Westchester counties, Trump won by 100K.
Totally agree.
“Go ahead you stupid morons. Keep it up. We’ll divide Texas into 20 states and you stupid maggots will never win another election.”
Uhhh, actually, there’s a better chance that Texas will secede than divide up...
Will "Beto" assume the post of Il Duce?
Not likely-if secession happens, the fedgov trough will be suddenly empty-so little Beto will probably be in tears, packing up to move to a blue state, along with a lot of other whining city liberals whose source of fed funds-and votes-will be cut off-and it would be a good thing...
Texas isn’t into dictators-Santa Ana didn’t do well...
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