From Jim Lawrence, Editor of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle: “The exodus of New Yorkers to states with relatively low taxes such as Florida is one reason the Editorial Board on Sunday will kickoff a stepped up, yearlong campaign to help get state residents out of “Tax Hell.” New York taxes are among the highest on Earth.”

Read more about the campaign HERE. Or go directly to the Fed Up With Albany Page HERE.

A Siena Research Institute study found that 11 percent of New Yorkers will  move unless conditions improve and another 10 percent say they would like to move out “as quickly as I can.”

The same poll found a whopping 53 percent believe the state is moving in the wrong direction and only 33 percent saying our state is headed in the right direction.

Are you thinking of moving?  Already left?  Tell us about it in the comments section.

See the polling HERE or read more about the poll HERE or

[New York State's] budget has risen 6 percent per year since 1999, more than double the rate of inflation. Medicaid spending is out of control and any attempt to revamp it – see Gov. David Paterson’s attempt and how quickly the health care union savaged him – has failed, thanks to all sorts of special interests.

Now Golisano leaves. It’s time New York takes the threat of losing affluent New Yorkers seriously. We’ve believed, and continue to argue, that wealthier residents should pay their share in taxes and that certain loopholes should be closed to ensure that happens.

But there is a limit to how much anyone can pay, and New York has reached that limit.

Golisano said he would continue his charitable endeavors in western New York.

Other philanthropists may not be as nice.

Read the entire editorial HERE.

From the Buffalo News Editorial Page.

The New York State Legislature is a fetid and self-serving organization that does the bidding of its masters, unions and trial lawyers prominent among them. And it has walled itself off from voters’ predictable anger through an accretion of artifices that make it all but impossible for challengers to unseat incumbents. It’s the endless political game in Albany.

With Albany the way it is, there is no reason to believe it even wants to [compete with Florida]. It will keep spending exorbitantly, paying tribute to its masters in the unions and law offices, until there are too few taxpayers left to bankroll its corruption.

There ought to be a law.

Read the whole thing HERE

Another casualty of Albany’s insatiable appetite for taxes is Science First, a small, family owned company in Buffalo.

The Buffalo News says this:

After lifetimes in the Buffalo area, Bell and her two sons will move to northern Florida by December.  They are taking their company and its 21 jobs with them.

Nathaniel Bell, who’s grandfather started the company said: “I personally feel we are being driven out of the state, that they are effectively saying they don’t want us here anymore. It makes me mad.”

The Bells want to be in upstate but the taxes left them with no economically viable choice.

After years of making a go of it in Buffalo, the expense of doing business in this state, increasingly unaffordable over the years, was now a clear obstacle to growth plans.

The decision behind her, she still admits to regrets and anger —aimed mostly at the state and its financial decisions that affect businesses like Science First. “We would have never moved,” Nancy Bell said.

Read the whole story HERE.

In an interview on Albany’s Talk 1300, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said, ”Reduce the size of government. It’s not a line in a speech; it has to be an actuality . . . That’s what you hear from the Golisanos of the world.”

Cuomo continued, “We have to talk about cutting taxes, reducing cost. Not just capping growth. Actually reducing the costs, and it’s possible.” 

Cuomo cited Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy who’s reaction to this economic turmoil was to cut his budget by 5 percent.

Cuomo’s saying the right things.  Duffy is doing the right things.  And it’s a start.

Do you know of any other elected officials who are saying or doing the right things?  Let us know on the comments page.

 You can read more about Cuomo’s interview HERE.

Rush Limbaugh offers his take HERE.  Former statewide candidate John Faso says: “Tom Golisano’s departure is one very large canary in the coalmine.  Will New York finally get the message?” HERE.

Some other takes from: BuffaloRising HERE, On the Wilder Side HERE and Economic Freedom HERE, Michelle Malkin HERE and Stop Wasting Money HERE.

But we want to hear your take!  Tell us in the comments section.

Here are some reactions to Tom’s decision to move to Florida.

American Issues Project says it comes down to a simple question: are you entitled to the money you earned.  Read that HERE.  Other takes on Monroe Rising HERE and on the Lonely Conservative HERE. 

The Watertown Times says other people will follow HERE while the Retail Alliance says it’s an important statement here.

Other takes from Albany Insanity HERE and Buffalo Pundit HERE. 

What’s your reaction?  Tell us in the comments section.

I love New York. But how much should it cost to call New York home? Decades of out of control budgets, spending increases and relentless borrowing have made New York simply too expensive.

Politicians like to talk about incentives: incentives for businesses to relocate, incentives to buy local and incentives to make smart decisions. After reviewing the 2009 budget I have identified the most compelling incentive of all: a major tax break immediately available to all New Yorkers. To be eligible, you need only do one thing: move out of New York State.

Last week I spent 90 minutes doing a couple of simple things—registering to vote, changing my drivers license, filling out a domicile certificate and signing a homestead certificate—in Florida. Combined with spending a 184 days a year outside New York these simple procedures will save me over $5 million in NY taxes annually.

That savings doesn’t include that Florida has a 6% sales tax compared to NY’s 8% or more. Florida has lower utility taxes. Lower gasoline taxes. Or that the Florida homestead certificate guarantees my property taxes will not grow more than 3%.

By moving to Florida I can spend that money on worthy causes like better hospitals, improving education and worthy projects like the Clinton Global Initiative. Or maybe I will continue to invest that money in fighting the status quo in Albany. One thing is certain, that money will not continue to fund Albany’s bloated bureaucracy, corrupt politicians or regular handouts to the special interests.

How did we get here in the first place? It all starts with spending, spending and more spending.

BUDGET SPENDING

New York’s budget was $72.7 billion in 1999. Ten years later it has ballooned to $131.8 billion. That growth is astounding but it continues to get worse. Each year, New York’s budget has had 6% compounded growth, double the average rate of inflation (2.8%). Florida’s budget, on the other hand, went down 8% this year.

HEALTH CARE SPENDING

New York spends $2,283 per person on Medicaid. That’s the highest per capita spending in the nation and twice the national average. In the last decade the Medicaid budget has grown by 50% ($30 billion in 1999 and $45 billion in 2009). In almost every sector (hospitals, nursing homes, medicine, clinics, and home and community care) spending per recipient regularly exceeds the national average.

Faced with escalating costs and diminishing returns, Albany and their allies, the health care unions (SEIU has over 300,000 politically active members), had only one answer: increase taxes.

EDUCATION SPENDING

New York spends the most, per pupil, in America on education, spending 63% above the national average. Costs went up about 60% in the last decade ($12.7 billion in 1999 and $20.7 billion in 2009). Like health care, education is something worth spending on and worth investing in but we’re spending more and getting less. New York City schools graduated 54% of high school students in 2007. Buffalo 47% and Rochester 45%.

Why? Perhaps it’s because the New York State teachers union with its $114 million budget is always trying to convince Albany to spend more. Maybe it’s because it’s mandatory that all teachers pay union dues. Whatever the cause, when faced with potential cuts, the union and their allies have one response: increase taxes.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING

It’s not just the state. It’s the range and breadth of many layers of governments and special taxing districts. In New York, the average state and local tax burden is $5,260 for every man, woman and child. That’s by far the highest in the country. Like Albany, when faced with a difficult problem, these municipalities have one answer: increase taxes.

Upstate New York has been particularly hard hit. Add unreasonable real estate taxes to the uncontrolled state spending and you have whole communities decimated. The assessment process is unfair, unworkable and unreasonable and the result is that 15 of the 20 highest taxed counties in America are right here in Upstate New York. While homeowners in other areas build equity, we just pay more taxes.

NO ONE’S HOME

This problem did not begin with the current recession. New York faced a $6 billion shortfall before the economic downturn. However in the face of economic turmoil Governor Paterson, Speaker Silver and Majority Leader Smith looked to the unions and special interests who answered with one voice: raise taxes.

Among other taxes and fees, they raised the marginal tax rate on the most successful (and most mobile) New Yorkers to 8.97 percent, the second highest rate in the nation.

It was irresponsible and it may just prove to be counterproductive since the top 1% of earners account for about 50% of state revenue. We’re the one who can—and will—leave.

It’s not an easy decision but I’m being forced away from my family and friends, pain shared by too many parents and grandparents in this state.

I’m leaving. And by domiciling in Florida I will personally save $13,800 every single day. That’s a pretty strong incentive.

Like I said, I love New York but I’m not going to pay any more for the waste, corruption and inefficiency that is New York State government.

Recently, the Town of Irondequoit (here in Monroe County) held a referendum.

Reacting to the Irondequoit vote, The Democrat & Chronicle headline read: Irondequoit Vote Evidence of People Power: Vote Shows Citizens Can Fight New Spending. 

Read the whole article HERE.