On the beaten path

“More New Yorkers Looking for New Jobs” told us about the increased unemployment state-wide over the past year.

The Press-Republican localized it to the tri-county area.

Clinton County was at 10.9-percent unemployment in February '09, up from 7 percent in February '08.

Essex County was at 11.7 percent, up from 8.2 percent.

And Franklin was at 10.7 percent, up from 8.1 percent.

Meanwhile, the state was reporting 7.8 percent, up from 4.6 in February '08.

What’s interesting about these numbers is, for residents of the North Country, this isn’t big news.

Job, or economic security, is almost always a conversation here.

Seasonal workers, of course, are laid off on a regular basis. Without their hard work, we wouldn’t have some of the finest - and cost-effective - produce at our disposal. Yet, for the most part, seasonal workers aren’t secure when at the end of the year, they’re waiting on that unemployment check.

Laborious jobs that end in injury have families battling for workers compensation, while they face the social stigma of accepting civic help programs.

As franchise businesses boost the local economy, there is no doubting - or missing - the “mom and pop” stores that close down. Jobs disappear there.

Since 9/11 friends of mine in the arts have been decrying their loss of revenue. Artists that used to rely on their paintings putting food on their table are starting numerous business ventures and some are even joining the workforce - turning their college-educated livelihood into a hobby.

I’ve come across private contractors, the general handyman and women that were once able to support their needs with a long list of properties to care-take and people to help.Their clients are feeling the pinch, so they lose their jobs.

Economic troubles are nothing new for the North Country.

A second story said that of the 137,807 residents in the park, “the median age is 43, most similar to the age of the west coast of Florida...”

So, nothing new. Many of us have suspected, maybe even joked about it.

However, go into any convenience store, grocery store, post office, coffee shop - just about anywhere with a bulletin board - and you see a flier advertising a benefit to help out a local family.

In the face of such long-standing financial difficulties, it never ceases to amaze me that for as many benefits, there are people that show up.

North Country residents are often penny-pushing to get back and forth to work, yet when someone asks for help, they reach a little deeper into their pockets.

When numbers tell us we’re losing jobs, losing youth, and losing faith - it’s great to see that we haven’t loss simple, unadulterated human kindness.