Troubling new statistics from the Census Bureau highlight the stark reality of how bad upstate New York’s poverty rates have become. In fact, three upstate cities — Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester — have among the top 25 worst childhood poverty rates in the nation.

Under Gov. Cuomo’s neglectful watch and misguided liberal policies, upstate New York has continued to suffer. Taxes remain high, residents are leaving in droves and the economic boom the rest of the nation is enjoying is nowhere to be found. Shockingly, Rochester’s childhood poverty rate, at 56.4 percent, is three times the national average.

 The newly-released figures regarding childhood poverty reveal yet another manifestation of his administration’s economic incompetence. There is simply no excuse for this sort of failure. The strength of our human and natural resources is being squandered by mismanagement, corruption, and disinterest in the problems of counties north of New York City.

 With 14 upstate counties having poverty levels at or higher than the U.S. average, the situation is a symptom of a larger illness — New York’s weak economy. Unless this administration commits to creating jobs, creating economic-development programs that are not corrupt and actually work, and lowering taxes, this problem won’t get better.  

Proposals to strengthen the economy

High poverty rates have devastating impacts for both children and adults, hampering their ability to eat properly, purchase seasonally-appropriate clothing and reliable transportation. Reducing taxes, allowing small business to thrive and putting money in the hands of consumers will organically drive up wages for all workers and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers. It will help retain residents and, ultimately, will cut at the heart of New York’s staggering poverty problem.

Tackling the issue of poverty will require a concerted legislative effort. As such, a bill sponsored by members of our conference (A.4295, Goodell) directly addresses low-income families by amending the labor law to allow claimants collecting unemployment to obtain part-time work without losing their unemployment benefits.

 We have also pushed for an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit. While others support job-crushing minimum-wage hikes that ultimately do more harm to communities than good, a less-damaging, broader solution is reducing New Yorkers’ tax burden.

 The Census Bureau report is damning evidence New York is far, far from being on the right track. At its core, childhood poverty is a systemic, long-term problem with generational impacts. Corrective action must be taken immediately. I urge the governor to refocus his attention on the problems plaguing New York and fix our broken economy.       

Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C–Canandaigua), a former small-business owner, is the New York Assembly Minority Leader and represents the 131st Assembly District, which encompasses all of Ontario County and parts of Seneca County. Contact him at kolbb@nyassembly.gov

It’s so easy these days to despair about the future of our country. It feels like half the people I run into just want to pull the covers over their heads and ignore the news.

 There’s dysfunction at the highest levels of government. Recent reports — the new book by Bob Woodward and a New York Times anonymous op-ed — reveal that top administration officials are so worried about President Trump’s impulses that they’ve formed a sort of “resistance” movement to thwart them. Many Americans express their disappointment in so many other Americans for supporting politicians who do not seem to know how to make our representative government work.

 And while drama dominates the daily headlines, Congress is polarized, hamstrung, and ineffective. We’re subject to Russian election hacking with very little visible effort on the part of the federal government to do something about it. Dozens of vital issues, from economic inequality to cybersecurity, are going largely unaddressed.

 So it might seem odd for me to suggest that we take a step back and count our blessings. But that’s exactly what I believe we need to do right now.

 Our history should give us a shot of confidence. We have overcome formidable challenges — a civil war, two world wars, recessions, and depressions — and through it all, America has not just survived, but improved. In my working lifetime, I have seen this country become a better place, plain and simple.

 We enjoy the world’s largest and most competitive economy.

 We have greatly improved the life of many older Americans with programs like Social Security and Medicare. We’ve improved the lives of many younger people with college scholarships and wider opportunities. And women and minorities have had doors opened to them like never before, even if there’s still room to improve.

 We are the pre-eminent diplomatic and military power in the world. Though terrorism is a serious worry, we do not face an imminent threat to our overall security.

 Our citizens, federal employees, and military personnel are engaged all over the world, for the most part doing their best to improve life for people elsewhere.

Perhaps most important, we have created a country where everyone has a chance to become the best she or he can be. There’s much room for improvement here, too — opportunity is not equally accessible. But there are plenty of people who’ve managed to get ahead in life even though the cards were stacked against them.

 We should not sound arrogant, and we should acknowledge our mistakes, but we have much to be proud of in our record as a nation.

 I don’t want to suggest we don’t have big problems. Of course we do. And just as noteworthy, progress over the decades doesn’t mean it’s inevitable.

While China invests in advanced robotics, for instance, we’re re-investing in coal. Are the current administration’s trade policies laying the groundwork for a prosperous future? I worry that they’re not. What impact will our huge and greatly expanding national debt have on our nation’s future? No one knows for certain, but it’s hard to believe things will end well if we don’t address it.

 What about the inability of Congress to do its work? Nowhere is it written in the stars that things will continue on as well as they have, especially if our policymakers don’t do their jobs.

 But to confront these problems, and to start to forge solutions, you have to have a measure of confidence in the system through which we’ll address them. And in this regard, our history should give us a boost. My impression is we need it.           

Lee Hamilton is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years, representing a district in south central Indiana.