Upstate - Too much attention?

This is fun. When's the last time Upstate New York was accused of getting too much attention from Albany? Wow. Because we might get a new train? That seems like a stretch of reality.

But, to offer the writer the benefit of the doubt, let's at least look at some points through some "Did you knows"...

Did you know...

• That the threshhold for public works projects that are subject to Wicks Law are $3 million for New York City, $1.5 million for NYC suburbs and $500,000 for all of Upstate?
• That New York City schools have been exempt from Wicks Law all along?
• That the Buffalo Niagara region (Region 5) was subjected to a larger cut in NYSDOT funding for 2009 than other regions due to the fact that we - as a region - have done a better job of maintaining our roads (meaning less "need")?
• New York City has managed to be excluded from a host of unfunded mandates being proposed by Albany (today's Buffalo News)?
• Before last year's reform of the Brownfields Cleanup Program, out of the $1B that was spend on brownfield remediation and redevelopment over $700MM was spent on six projects in NYC while Erie County received 3% of that funding and Niagara County 1/10% of it; and that the downstate expense of the program caused DEC to put a moratorium on brownfields projects, holding up over $50MM worth of projects in WNY?
• While we continue to fight for hydropower and proceeds derived from hydropower to be used for economic development in the Buffalo Niagara region, it continues to be shipped downstate, or worse, was just recently swept into the State's general fund?

I love NYC - it's my favorite place in the world to visit, and I can't wait to get down there and see that shiny new Yankee Stadium. But to suggest that Upstate is spoiled by Albany is absolutely laughable.