[Leica] Poor families in Troy, NY

[lrzeitlin at aol.com]

It may be too late to talk about this. Its not photographically 
relevant, but poor families in upstate NY are relatively common. 
Jayanand has posted an excellent photo essay showing their plight;

op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/when-struggling-families-spark-inter
net-rage/

Most visitors to New York, American and European alike, spend most of 
their time in New York City and imagine that the rest of the state is 
similar. It is not. NY state, about the size of an average European 
country, is largely agricultural. Drive an hour outside of the city in 
any direction and you are in rural countryside. Most cities in the 
state were established near waterways to facilitate the transportation 
of agricultural products. Populated areas are located by the ocean or 
lakefronts, along the Hudson river or, after 1826, along the Erie 
Canal. As one of the first areas to be densely settled in the USA, New 
York developed an economy largely based on manufacturing. Shoes, 
typewriters, photographic equipment, computers, automobiles, air 
conditioners, gin, pianos, and even Crayola crayons all were made in 
the state. But things change. Anti pollution legislation, forced many 
of the companies to relocate elsewhere. Manufacturing and jobs went 
overseas. Things like typewriters and photographic film became 
obsolete. Industries left but the people remained, many without jobs 
and no hope of finding new ones.

To complicate matters NY state had very liberal welfare laws which drew 
poor people like a magnet and discouraged their leaving. These policies 
were a residue of the time when New York was flush with cash and could 
easily support the hoards of immigrants who landed at Ellis Island. Up 
until recently both the City and State University systems, with a total 
of nearly half a million students, were free.

So the plight of the poor families in Troy is understandable. Similar 
pictures could be taken in Newburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, Schenectady, 
or even New York City itself. Sad but true.

Larry Z