FUBARed in Buffalo?

Ouch! Big time Hahvahd Economist Edward L. Glaeser claims the city of Buffalo is screwed with a capital SCREWED! (Hat tip to Mankiw for the link).

Glaeser's argument seems to be that tax dollars are better spent helping the people of Buffalo, not the place. The article walks through, with painful detail, the history of Buffalo's decline as well as the history of Buffalo's many failed renewal projects (the latest being the insane Bass Pro debacle and the Seneca Casino, neither of which are likely to do for the city what renewal advocates want: bring prosperity to the average citizen).

I'm posting this non-linguistics related comment because I came to Buffalo almost 10 years ago to study linguistics (I'll finish that diss someday, hehe) and I had the exact same thought that every one else who comes to Buffalo has: this ciy has "a lot of potential". Well, it's a friggin decade later and everyone here is STILL saying that. It's depressing. At some point, potential must be reached, or else it's sad. And that's where Buffalo is right now; a city which has failed to reach it's potential for decades, and Glaeser has a good read on why.

Now, if Glaeser could figure out why this linguist with a lot of potential is still "working on" that diss. Ich bin Buffalo!