Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

A new proposal for Buffalo's long-dormant waterfront has been put forth: A domed amusement park that would include such attractions as thrill-rides, snow-boarding, white-water rafting, and the usual restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this proposal. On the face of it, it looks like a nifty attraction, but I worry if this is just the latest in a long line of "silver bullet"-type proposals put forth over the years, each of which promised to create lots of jobs and bring tourists to Buffalo and generally solve all manner of economic problems in the city, but none of which has ever advanced past the "pretty pictures on the easel at the press conference" stage. If such a thing could be built, and if it really could attract all those tourists and generate the promised 1000 new jobs, great. But Buffalo's economic problems go a lot deeper than this -- the decades-long erosion of population, manufacturing jobs and tax base; the mistakes made with the infrastructure that put Buffalo's strengths in jeopardy; the lack of political leadership needed to cut through the red-tape and cronyism; a bloated governmental structure that has resulted in a bureaucratic nightmare; a lack of a high-tech industry base that will likely be necessary for cities wishing to compete in the 21st century....I'd like to see some steps taken to correct some of these problems, instead of looking for the big "juggernaut" project that will start the great and glorious turn-around for this city.