The Gentleman from South Buffalo

Mr. Higgins goes to Washington.:

I wish him luck. As a freshman Dem in the House, he's gonna need it. But let me tell you something - he got things done in the notoriously corrupt NYS Assembly. That says a lot about the guy, AFAIC.

Higgins is seeking an appointment to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which directs billions in construction money to localities. Quinn and his predecessor, Henry J. Nowak, a Democrat, both served on that panel, and Higgins sees a seat there as a key to funding to fix Buffalo's highways and reviving its waterfront.

But if a vacancy opens up on the House Appropriations Committee - which allocates most federal dollars outside of Social Security and other entitlements - Higgins plans to try to move to that all-powerful panel.

'It's a reflection of the needs of the area,' Higgins said. 'I want to be a leader in Western New York,' he added, saying he will focus on local funding issues rather than bigger-picture national politics.

As I've said before, NYS is a net contributor of Federal taxes, while almost every single Bush-votin', tax-hatin' red state is a net recipient

I certainly hope that, since there's federal money being thrown around, we get our fair share. I'm not in the mood to subsidize the states that are living off our cash-money.