Are we in the same town or what?!?

spam deleted. Thanks! 'here's to your health!' Was reading on plans to expand and revitalize Cohoes as apparently city got 20 million dollars. In agenda mentions how businesses and high income housing are coming. Apparently poverty level here is 17%. 30% of which are in the 18-34 age range. 22% of the population doesn't work. 6% unemployment rate. Hmm. Let's get real shall we? If you lived down town like I do, off Remsen and Columbia sts., you would say 30% of the people here are doing nothing all the time. Smoking regular and funny cigs,coming home with 12 packs of beer and so on. SOS different day. Dead end lives. Why? Are they a generation of druggies, throwaways and slackers? No I say. Many are uneducated, left school in junior year of highschool as didn't like it and felt didn't need it. Several in Cohoes are elderly so retired. Others have disabilities or other problems that prevent or impede them from workinglike mental illness. Drug addiction, mental, physical illness and alcoholism are real issues here too. There are the working poor also who work at Mohawk factory and Burger King. Many are in fast food service industry. Choices are slim and they certainly aren't going to the music hall for $25 a ticket. They don't eat out, do shop at thrift and watch every penny. They like me live in subsidized substandard housing and have to take what get. For us Cohoes is not a land of opportunity and rainbows but a grim reality of struggle like for many in this country. If being an 'All American town' means seeing streets filled with empty store fronts,abandoned and condemned apartment buildings, broken, littered, crap-filled side walks and roads,then yes Cohoes is certainly America, now. I do not find it a city that cares at all. It is an island full of selfish individuals with their own greedy agendas. The poor get poorer and the well off and comfortable get more so. The two don't run in the same circles. For some here, Cohoes is a great place to buy another bar as yes many here like to drink and get drunk. It is harder though to sell clothes, jewelry or art here. Many spend $5 at Walmart on necklace from China. It is not hand made by an artist. Clothes there are not of the same caliber as a fine clothing store. People in Cohoes don't pay for nice clothes here but buy cheap from Family Dollar for the most part so is hard to attract nice businesses here. The demographic is not good. I know as am an artist who paints, makes jewelry and I have a hard time selling people here anything unless it's cheap!I guess by attracting people with some money, good jobs, offering them pretty, pricy housing, someone will drop some cash to pay for some nice shoes in that imaginary store that is allegedly coming. Provided you can entice that store to come to a town with so many social ills, at all! By gentrifying certain areas of Cohoes, the powers that be here, are keeping or tossing the poor out. Supposedly want to attract some artists and the arts but us artists are notoriously odd outsiders and struggle financially for our art. A contradiction if there ever was one. Am here and noone helps promote me or my work, especially Choose Cohoes for Art or the Foundry which allegedly is their job. They support who like and deem worthy of attention. Nuts when art is subjective. America was built on diversity of people, nationalities, religions sexes and viewpoints. Sadly small cities like Cohoes are not open to new energy and people with different view points than theirs. Instead they find it off putting and threatening. Like minds stick together sadly. Mention have places of entertainment. Hmm..I see some seedy bars, overpriced restaurants is all. I watch cable and dvds with my dog. I get take out and buy online at Amazon prime, where what want is shipped free! I find it very isolating here. I am on disability and over 50. I do not see those like me mentioned in your article. You are buildings park for seniors when looks fine around senior center and housing. Want to help seniors, disabled? Use some of that funding for us! No activities at senior center. Can't afford community center. People in senior housing keep to selves to avoid the BS if smart. Gossips abound. Offer tickets to music hall at discount,and the same at local restaurants so all can share in your good fortune or rather 20 million got that is ours. Try helping all and not those who don't need help. You all have jobs, good ones, are young or able bodied. Try looking at things from a different perspective. Want to help vets? Provide housing not a memorial. One have is fine, as per chat with Vietnam vet Bill Eagan who lives n Cohoes. In the mean time, despite your efforts for change, I do not see any, not for the long hall. Try being transparent. I just found your plans under Cohoes economy. In my humble opinion, I think it stinks. Why don't you welcome fresh blood to your town meetings and try listening to them instead of shutting them up? Cohoes proud huh? I'm not proud to exist and sleep here at all. Is boring and lacks any spark. Would leave if could afford to. Sadly no promise next apt., town any better as I am limited due to income. Good luck trying to get people with money in Cohoes. Most people I know who are well off, are afraid to come here. Crime down 40%? Interesting. I don't feel safe walking alone at night here. I don't know what strange brew you all are drinking at Spindles but from where I sit, things look pretty bad and not as hopeful as you paint with your rosey pen. Many of you all plop butts in cars so don't know what it's like to be a female walking down the street here. I get hit up for money for example often. Many drunk or high or mental. Crap on sidewalks from people not picking up after their dogs. Pride in where live huh? Many here take no pride in selves, let alone where live! I don't know as said what city you are talking about but it'not the one I've been living in for the past three years. For each biz that came, one went out. Keep bringing up bakery as is all that has come here with help from micro loan. Of courses she sings your praises. Most living downtown don't go there as too expensive. Be careful when your cleansing Cohoes of the riff raff and blight so you can get who want here that you don't lose some of the charm of Cohoes. It has always been full of blue collar workers struggling for a better life for themselves and their families. Bring in some business, jobs and better housing but don't send the rest of us packing in the process!