Published: November 11, 2009 02:15 pm      

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: NYC takes pity on Niagara

A New York City reporter recently showed sympathy toward Niagara County for the disparity in stimulus spending statewide.

The Village Voice reported that of $18 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds New York state received from the federal government, $8.16 billion was going to New York City.

“Poor Niagara County, one of the hardest-hit counties in this recession, gets a mere $632 million,” reporter Roy Edroso wrote. “Of course, when you think of it as $2,947 per Niagara County resident, it seems more cheerful.”

Not exactly a farming hotbed, New York City somehow received more money for that purpose (theoretically, at least) than Niagara County, another oddity pointed out by Edroso.

“It’s amazing that New York City actually gets more ‘agriculture’ spending money than Niagara — $850 million versus $12 million — until you realize almost all of that is for the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program, aka food stamps,” he wrote. “We don’t usually associate Chef Boyardee with agriculture, but that’s how it shakes out.”

Statewide, the biggest items on the list were unemployment ($3.94 billion), Medicaid ($2.69 billion) and food stamps ($1.26 billion).

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Fans of dusty old books — REALLY old books — may soon have a sort of mecca in Erie County.

County Executive Chris Collins recently formed a Rare Books Commission that will market the rare texts housed in this region to bookworms worldwide, Americana Exchange reported.

Among the rarities on hand here are a handwritten manuscript of “Huckleberry Finn,” Thomas Jefferson’s annotated copy of “The Federalist” and a Shakespeare “First Folio,” the publication reported.

“We have a wealth of incredibly rare treasures right here in Western New York that we should be sharing with the world,” Collins said. “I think these historic materials will attract visitors from far and wide. It’s time to market this collection to enhance our tourism industry in Erie County.”

The publication went on to praise the decision, saying that Buffalo is ahead of the curve in terms of sharing rare books with the public.

“This is really something of a counterintuitive idea for rare book libraries. So steeped in the desire to protect and preserve, they have made rare books virtually inaccessible, and thereby of no practical benefit to the public which pays for their preservation,” the report said. “What the folks in Buffalo are trying to do is convert those resources into a practical asset, one that can pay for their own preservation and more, rather than be a draw on tight budgets. If they succeed, they may do as much to preserve the books and manuscripts of our history as all of the squirreling away in dark, climate-controlled vaults has accomplished.”

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.