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The latest projections on New York’s population are in, and they’re not good. If the numbers crunchers at Cornell University are right, the state could lose as many as 2.7 million residents over the next 25 years.

Such a loss would have real consequences, including less representation in Congress, less influence in the Electoral College, and less population-based federal aid. Not to mention the less-quantifiable but no less damaging loss of enticement for businesses and young people looking for a promising place to put down roots.

It’s time New York’s leaders state faced this reality more squarely than they have in the past. Rather than view this decline merely through the lens of politics – as either a liability for Democrats who run state government to downplay, or as a cudgel for Republicans to beat Democrats with – we need to find out what’s........

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