Manifesto/Bio
Recent Comments
Re: “Richards gives sober State of the City address, with an appearance by Spider-Man”
Hi darlingdyan - In short, no. The speech was not delayed this year and is usually given during this season.
Re: “Is the Rochester mayor's race lacking 'real' Democrats?”
In my opinion, Rochester should thank God for Tom Richards. Not for nothing but look at any northeast city run by 'real' Democrats. Cesspits starting from city hall down to the street level. Rochester has its problems but at least our mayor is frank, thoughtful, & putting forward some sensible ideas.
Re: “Mayor: MCC showdown an artificial crisis”
Kodak's State Street campus is probably a 20 minute walk from the central downtown location where MCC is now located and where the RTS system has its hub. With the State Street site, the convenience is just not there like it is with city center, especially for the typical Daemon City Campus student who lives in the city and relies on the bus to get to and from class.
In fact the proposed State Street site is not really even downtown at all. It's outside of the inner loop well into the High Falls neighborhood and bordering on a deteriorating west side neighborhood that's well understood as a place to be avoided. I would not want my kids going to college way over there.
On the other hand, Main & Clinton is well trafficked, well policed, and very central. There's ample space in the building and an upbeat new landlord. I just don't see the upside of abandoning the core demographic in order to get a nicer cafeteria or whatever it is that the Kodak site offers.
Re: “Blacks, poverty, and the future of Rochester”
The transition from poverty to working class is the easiest of the upward transitions to be made and people born into a disadvantaged set of circumstances are in the prime position to enjoy some upward mobility, regardless of race or neighborhood. Being self-made has some unique benefits that being born with a silver spoon does not convey. Hard work builds character and a key motivating factor is to provide better opportunities for your kids than you had.
My inclination is that the failure to thrive discussed here is not due to people being black, or people being in the city, but it's primarily a lifestyle choice of the people described, e.g. a conscious decision to indulge in unproductive behaviors while gaming the social safety net instead of undertaking the hard work of self improvement, or perhaps just not realizing that there's another way to live due to lack of role models.