North Country’s big government on the chopping block

Governor Paterson wants $500 million in budget cuts from his state agencies, and it looks like a lot of those hits will come to bureaucracies with big footprints in this region.

According to the Albany Times-Union, these are just the biggest bites:

SUNY: $90M
Correctional Services: $70M (State prisons)
Health: $37M
Higher Education Services: $36M
Transportation: $30M

This is one of the dangers of being government-dependent. When Albany squeezes, it’s often this region that feels the pain.

What do you think? Is this a move by Governor Paterson toward leaner, smaller government – a goal that many in the North Country embrace?

Or is this a blow to a region already struggling with high unemployment? Or both?