Because of the economic climate, some companies still aren't hiring to replace employees who leave. I suggest we downsize the State Senate, and start by not hiring to replace this guy.

State Senator Neil Breslin, a Democrat whose district includes the capital city of Albany, said something against a Republican plan to add a 63rd Senate district that I’ve suspected for years:

According to Breslin adding an additional seat will cost New York an extra one million dollars. If a new district is what Senate Republicans want, downstate is where it should go Breslin says.

That’s about what I figured – one million dollars for the salary of the elected official, his staff in Albany, his staff in local offices, and other overhead costs.

How many readers worked at an organization that had to lay people off during the latest recession? A lot of people? Maybe even you?  And some of those organizations, I’ll bet, still have a ways to go before they replace all of the jobs they eliminated. Some might even still be laying people off.

When the rest of us were getting downsized, the State Legislature never had to lay anyone off. Funny, that.

No more!

I propose that, instead of adding a 63rd Senate district, we eliminate districts instead. How’s this: with 27 Congressmen, we’ll have one Representative in the House for every 720,000 people. I’d say the upper chamber of the State Legislature should get by with no more than twice that many – one Senator for every 360,000 people. 54 Senators, eight fewer Senators than what we have now. You’re welcome, New York State – I just saved you eight million dollars.

But I’m not done, yet! Why should the rest of New York State have to feel the jobs pinch, but not the Assembly? Do they really need 150 members if the really important legislation comes down to three men in a room? If we laid off 10% of the Assembly workforce, that would still leave us with 135 representatives, yet we’d save another 15 million dollars.

Once again. You’re welcome.