Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Tedisco in 60: Stop The Brain Drain in New York State


This week I address the need to make our state more competitive and keep our young people from going elsewhere with their top notch New York State education.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Greetings Sir - I don't believe I ever had the pleasure of meeting you; I'm the step-son of your cousin, Jim O'Connor. I moved away from NY in the mid 1990's, taking my education with me (Doane Stuart School and New School for Social Research) On graduating college, I was making four dollars and fifty cents an hour washing dishes at a pizza place. There was a long waiting list at the Albany Police Department and other agencies. When I was hired by the Division for Youth, I was quickly un-hired because the patronage office stole the job away. I faced let down after let down. I moved South and found a great job in criminal justice within two months.

About ten years ago I looked into moving back, but learned that there were residency requirements for probation officer jobs. At this point I had three years experience and was considered the best in my very large, urban agency. And so, I continued to live and work in the South.

Now I am a deputy sheriff, and on the verge of completing an MBA. But moving back to NY seems impossible. For one, the cost of everything is prohibitive. The taxes are a nightmare compared to what we have here. In Georgia, I make a terrible salary as a cop, but my family live in a great home and send our children to private school. I don't think that would be possible in NY.

Sadly, all but one of my high-school and college friends have left the state. All of my siblings left as soon as they got their degrees. I encounter ex-New Yorkers everywhere; there are several working for my county with the Sheriff and District Attorney.

In terms of culture and education (and great pizza), it would have been an ideal place to bring up my family. I can even deal with snow. But the toll of decades of tax and spend programs, the high cost of homes, and quality private education have made moving back to my home state as likely as moving to the moon.