New York has a huge problem: We’re the land that progress forgot. As the rest of the United States economy grows at remarkable rate, we seem to be standing still, if not regressing. This is best exemplified by the unemployment rate, which nationally is a truly spectacular 4.7% and improving. New York’s upstate region sports a rate closer to 6% which is destined to grow with a handful of plants and stores announcing their impending closures.

This lack of job retention and job growth is fostered by poor business and residential environments which have been created by years of mismanagement in Albany. Peculiar regulations, high utility costs, and incredible over-taxation of businesses make it far too expensive to work in the Empire State. Living in New York is just as painful, with personal taxes at the state level 43% higher than the national average.

What accounts for such factors? Upstate politicians blame the New York Metro area. The New York Metro area politicians blame Upstate. When the blame game is looked at in greater detail, we find out all Albany politicos agree as to what is wrong and what brought it all about. They all to a man understand the onerous impact from Albany that has prevented NY from joining the rat race...where rather instead it has become a casualty of it.

Whether speaking from their district offices or in news interviews or in roundtable discussions, politicians and state employees the state over – from downtown Manhattan to rural Chautauqua County - expound upon NY. Their messages all sound similar, even across party lines. They say we need to cut taxes to make NY more inviting to businesses and people, too, be they potential residents or the current residents who seem to be leaving in droves.

They all know what’s happening and have known for decades, so why is nothing ever done? It seems Albany prefers to choose a path of inaction. Reform is something vocalized by all, but it ends up being nothing more than grandiose plans and ideas, never instituted.

This inactivity is caused by a number of factors, but the biggest influencing factor may be a lack of fortitude, an discernible inability to stand up against one’s political party, the house majority, special interest groups, and corruption itself. State-level politicians and department heads seem to have forgotten who really matter – the voters and taxpayers - as they are too concerned with behaving politically, being subjugated by their party bosses in hopes of being "lifers" and promoting the interests and benefits of their parties and the folks who funded their ascension to power.

This is unfortunate, what with the voters putting them in power based solely upon the aforementioned ersatz drive to make changes in Albany. All politicians’ messages sound eerily similar at election time, all promising to combat taxes or bring jobs into our borders. Sounds good. But, once in office they fall into the trappings of the Status Quo, becoming yes men to Bruno, Silver, the Governor and the old way of doing things.

Such are the ills of party politics. Such are the ills of politics in general. A maddened taxpayer and concerned citizen probably resides in the conscious of each and every Albany politico. They know what’s wrong and deep down inside they want change. But, unfortunately, there’s not a thing they can do about it, as the act of being an Albany politician prevents their true self from coming out. Maybe someday, if its not too late – which it may be already - they will wake up to Reality, stop talking about change, and actually do something about it!