Reply #11: The state government in New York is as baroque as anything out

[hedgehog]

of Louisiana. Outside of New York City, what you have is an agricultural state with small to medium cities mostly tied to a failing manufacturing economy. The Democratic Party is dominated by NYC and the Republican Party has a stranglehold on upstate. The main theme of the Republicans is Upstate against New York City. Locally, it's the towns and suburbs against the people of Buffalo or Syracuse. Instead of an open budget process, we have weeks of display by various lobbying groups followed by deals made among the Governor, Assembly Speaker and Senate Majority leader, a.k.a. Three Men in a room.