Just last week Governor David Paterson was in Broome County, personally spreading the word to residents of the Southern Tier that New York State is in dire straits. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and painful cuts across the board would be necessary to keep the foundering state out of bankruptcy. And he didn’t expect it to be easy.

“Eventually, all New Yorkers are going to have to share in the sacrifice,” the Governor said.

But is his money where his mouth is? Something I read yesterday made my blood boil. While our esteemed governor has been preaching sacrifice, it seems he has given several of his top level aids pay raises. Oh, he’s shaved the requisite 10 percent from his office’s payroll, and downsized the number of his staff. But by shifting money and titles around, Paterson was still able to reward a few key staffers. The move has a lot of people crying foul, and I can see why.

I’m not saying that these staff members aren’t worthy of raises, I’m sure they are. But there are a lot of worthy people around our state that not only didn’t see raises this year, but may see their jobs disappear completely in the coming months. Shouldn’t Albany be setting the example, rather than being the exception?

We’re already living that sacrifice here in Chenango County. When I look at the unemployment rates, see our dairy farmers struggling, listen to school districts agonizing over how they can maintain staff and services in the light of dwindling aid, hear the undercurrent of worry when people talk about their retirement or paying their bills, watch working families turn to food stamps for the first time to make ends meet ... I know we are living it.