These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

[BillsImpossible]

I hate to break it down this way, Buffalo...but the numbers don't add up.

98 percent of the time, I'm a freaking homer and always try to think positive.

But 2 percent of the time my brain says, "Hold on a minute."

Since 1970, Erie County has lost about 200,000 residents.

http://www2.erie.gov/index.php?q=erie-county-overview

Population

The Bureau of Census population statistics for Erie County are as follows:

1970	1,113,491
1980	1,015,472
1990	968,532
2000	950,265
2010	919,040
2011 Estimate	918,028

This is NOT what worries me the most about the future of the Buffalo Bills.

Come the next Census in 2020, Erie County COULD/MIGHT experience a slight increase in population.

What worries me the most are these numbers:

State of New York		25,244
United States Government		10,000
Kaleida Health		8,439
SUNY at Buffalo		7,106
Catholic Health Systems		6,286
Employer Services Corporation		6,271
Tops Markets LLC		5,117
City of Buffalo Schools		4,949
M & T Bank		4,593
Erie County Government		4,304

51,603 taxpayer derived government paychecks out of 82,309 jobs is not good for business.

63% of all Erie County employees get a taxpayer derived, government funded check.

I did not include Kaleida Health or Catholic Health Systems even though they do take Medicaid and are reliant upon taxpayers to pay their bills.

81% of Erie County's economy is dependent on government.

Only 19% - less than 1 in 5 people in Erie County are self sufficient.

Here is a list of the top 10 privately owned companies in Erie County.

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/feature/top-private-companies/northeast/buffalo

The Seneca Niagara Casino is in Niagara County, but I'll factor that into the equation because I'm feeling sympathetic.

Add up all of the top 10 privately owned companies in Erie County.

A Grand Total of.....25,987 people are employed by privately owned businesses in Erie County.

The State of NY alone employs 25,244 government jobs in Erie County.

I'm not sold.

[Guest]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Only one or two of those top 10 employers would be interested in a corporate suite at a football stadium.

AND Canadian based businesses have absolutely no interest in 10 year leases in a corporate suite in Buffalo.

Perhaps Celino & Barnes will take three themselves?

[Turf]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

You could live in a **** hole like Chicago where 30+ people get shot every weekend for fun. Where's our leaders when you need them.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

You could live in a **** hole like Chicago where 30+ people get shot every weekend for fun. Where's our leaders when you need them.

Our leaders are all blackmailed. That's how the game works. That is why they're in power. But that's besides the point!

Small businesses account for about 75% of the American workforce.

Government jobs and corporate jobs account for only about 25% of America's workforce.

The opposite is true in Erie County.

The only new businesses I've seen lately are bottle and can return shops.....and they look like hell on Sheridan Drive.

[Fletch]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

You could live in a **** hole like Chicago where 30+ people get shot every weekend for fun. Where's our leaders when you need them.

Strangely, Buffalo ranked as the 11th most dangerous city and Chicago wasn't ahead of it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2013/06/21/fbi-stats-show-buffalo-with-11th-worst.html?s=image_gallery

[Fletch]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Toronto is America's equivalent of Boston, that's what worries me.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Follow the money.

Where is the money headed in Erie County?

South of the city of Buffalo.

Cabela's is going to be opening this August, right across from the Galleria Mall on Duke Road.

After almost ten years of Bass Pro Buffalo bullcrap, Cabela's built a new store in Cheektowaga in less than 6 months.

I am good friends with a man who owns a lot of property in Erie County, and other States. He is almost 90 years old, owns millions of dollars worth of property all over the country, and still to this day refuses to do business in the city of Buffalo.

Ralph Wilson didn't build the stadium in downtown Buffalo because of the typical BS politics that have driven the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls over the waters edge.

It was a done deal for Ralph Wilson, Jr. to build a new stadium in Buffalo, until some greaseball political hack wanted a handout back in the 1970's.

Unfortunately, nothing has changed.

"The biggest obstacle in Buffalo is the government itself."

[BertSquirtgum]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Your threads worry me about your sanity.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

How many people here on the Billszone are employed by a small business?

How many are employed by Uncle Sam or the good old State of New York government?

I own a small business and haven't taken a vacation in 18 years. A few years back I took 3 days off for personal reasons.

I had multiple people call me to ask if I went out of business. That was their first question.

I HATE the negative business mentality people have in WNY.

Only does an outsider realize what we have in the palm of our hands.

Wake up, Buffalo.

And get a real job.

[BillsImpossible]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Your threads worry me about your sanity.

Let me guess...you used to work for AM&A's for 20 years, got laid off and now you can't get up off of your fat government check dependent ass because you're depressed an hooked on government paid for meds.

Get a job.

[Novacane]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

haven't you seen the commercials BI? NY is now open for business

[PromoTheRobot]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

I guess neither BI or Novacane have been to Buffalo in a while. The new Medical Campus downtown with 10,000 new professional jobs, Elon Musk building his new Solar City plant at Riverbend, Yahoo building a data center in Lockport, Geico, real estate prices skyrocketing in some parts of the city, the Harborcenter, Canalside, etc. Buffalo is definitely turning around. It's not where it was in the 40's and 50's but you have to start somewhere. Stop looking at old stats and look for yourself.

[BertSquirtgum]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Let me guess...you used to work for AM&A's for 20 years, got laid off and now you can't get up off of your fat government check dependent ass because you're depressed an hooked on government paid for meds.

Get a job.

I work for a municipality. So technically, I do get a government check. Don't get so butt hurt because you're threads sucks.

[YardRat]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

Declining population and public jobs overcoming private are two very legitimate concerns.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Re: These Numbers Worry Me The Most About The Future of The Bills In Buffalo

What worries me the most are these numbers:

State of New York		25,244
United States Government		10,000
Kaleida Health		8,439
SUNY at Buffalo		7,106
Catholic Health Systems		6,286
Employer Services Corporation		6,271
Tops Markets LLC		5,117
City of Buffalo Schools		4,949
M & T Bank		4,593
Erie County Government		4,304

51,603 taxpayer derived government paychecks out of 82,309 jobs is not good for business.

63% of all Erie County employees get a taxpayer derived, government funded check.

I did not include Kaleida Health or Catholic Health Systems even though they do take Medicaid and are reliant upon taxpayers to pay their bills.

81% of Erie County's economy is dependent on government.

Only 19% - less than 1 in 5 people in Erie County are self sufficient.

I agree Buffalo's economy is still sruggling, but you seem to be assuming that the top 10 Employers are the only employers and are completely ignoring all the context of those numbers. Saying the largest employer in a large city is it's own government is not really that big a shocker. Rarely does any one company employ tens or hundreds of thousands of people in the same city, but the local government easily can.

For example: The top employer in Los Angeles County is Los Angeles County (http://www.laalmanac.com/employment/em21e.htm)

The top employer in New York City is New York City (http://www.businessinsider.com/new-y...ployers-2012-4)

The top employer in Chicago, Illinois is the federal government, followed by the City and County (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/reale...40pGKJyF3ZKmUM)

And before this turns into a political derpfast, the top employers in conservative areas like Colorado Springs and Alabama are the US Military. It's just the nature of lumping all public sector employees under one massive umbrella.