It's not specifically about Dryden, and it starts out as ruminations about the 2006 New York governor's race, but NYCO has some powerful thoughts on upstate New York's past, present, and future which are well worth thinking about, even (maybe especially) if you violently disagree. An excerpt:
Upstate New York seems to be entering a point of no return which many people interpret as "decline," but I feel it is properly understood as "change." In truth, at the dawn of the 21st century, we are not in decline, but rather parting company from a good deal of the rest of the American economic prosperity engine. That doesn't mean that there aren't pressing matters of the local economy to figure out - as we can see in the woes of Erie County. What's happening in Erie County is in fact going to require some serious re-thinking. Upstate New York is on the down side of a boom that began almost 200 years ago. How to properly, sustainably downsize and yet maintain our values is the most pressing matter....
Economic fortunes come and go -- and come again. But once you throw your values down the toilet, it's very hard to get them back.
There's a lot to think about.
Update: NYCO continues this train of thought in another excellent piece looking at the variety, political and cultural, in upstate New York.
Posted by simon at March 10, 2005 11:44 AM in New York State