This weekend, many of us will be gathered around our local lakes, firing up the grill, having a nice cold drink and spending quality time with our family members and friends. It is a weekend to come together, relax and remember who we are as citizens of the greatest country in the world. For many, Fourth of July weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer and the celebration of our nation’s birth. Two Hundred-Forty years ago, farmers, fishermen, traders and common folk alike stood up to the strongest empire in the world and told them they were done being patronized and taken advantage of.

While we as residents of upstate should not be looking to revolt and form our own nation, many of the principles of the past run parallel to the current state of politics in New York. Our governor and the Assembly Majority seem out of touch with the desires and goals of anyone who lives outside the New York City limits. Policies like the minimum wage hike were put in place to appease the downstate, left-leaning voting base and union contributors at the expense of small-business owners and their families. Shady business endeavors are using taxpayer dollars for self-promotion and to give political donors kick-backs.

The disconnect and corruption at the top of our state Legislature is reminiscent of how our colonizers used the backs of the common folk to carry the elite and well-connected to the bank. Our founding fathers had enough and had the courage to stand up against tyranny and oppression. It is important we continue to do the same, not in the form of violence, but with our voices and votes.

If we do not stay steadfast in our efforts to make our voices heard and force change, downstate legislators will continue to do as they please. It is an uphill battle, but it is a fight that can certainly be won.

This weekend, we celebrate the independence and pursuit of freedom of our nation, and the struggle it took to achieve those ideas. I urge you to also remember what we the people of the North Country and Mohawk Valley are fighting for and to not be discouraged, for famous Scottish author and government reformist, Samuel Smiles, may have said it best “…if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved.”

I welcome your thoughts or questions on this and any other legislative matter. Please contact me by emailing blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling my office at 315-493-3909.