New Yorkers under 30 plan to flee city, says new poll; cite high taxes, few jobs as reasons

NY Daily News:

ALBANY - Escape from New York is not just a movie - it's also a state of mind.

A new Marist College poll shows that 36% of New Yorkers under the age of 30 are planning to leave New York within the next five years - and more than a quarter of all adults are planning to bolt the Empire State.

The NY Post offers its own opinion of this news:

That's no surprise, actually. New York leads the nation in state and local levies, with property taxes right at the top:

* The 15 counties with highest property taxes in the nation, as a percentage of home value, are all in New York.

* Nassau and Westchester are the two most heavily taxed counties in America, in absolute dollars.

* The state's median property tax is almost double that of the nation.

Meanwhile, the huge burden on businesses -- which pay five times as much in property taxes as in corporate-income taxes -- drives away investors. And jobs.

With workers, particularly young ones, not far behind.

In 1980, New York had 41 electoral votes to Florida's 17. Now both states are tied at 29. But the NY parasite class is so entrenched that there's virtually no hope the state or NYC will change its ways even after it becomes the next Michigan.

The War on Walmart

From Reason TV we have an excellent display of the union thuggery and economic illiteracy that prevents Walmart from opening in places like Washington D.C. and New York City. Of all the outrageous claims made to deny citizens the right to choose where they spend their money - not to mention their private property rights - this one is the hands down winner:

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

I don't think I've ever heard a defense of moral bankruptcy used as a political argument or a business being vilified for "making criminals" out of criminals who steal their property. But I guess if you listen to the left long enough, they can rationalize anything if it fits their agenda.

Free Plaxico Burress

The Giants player may lose his freedom (3 1/2 yrs) and carreer for committing a "crime" in NYC that would be a wristslap in most other jurisdictions that respect the Bill of Rights. From the WSJ:

...In 40 states, including Connecticut, law-abiding adults are issued permits once they pass a fingerprint-based background check and a safety class. In New Jersey, carry permits are virtually never issued. In New York City, carry permits are issued, but to applicants with some form of political clout rather than on the basis of his or her need for protection.

The Second Amendment might not require New Jersey or New York City to issue as liberally as Connecticut does. But with a population of several million and only a few thousand (consisting mainly of politicians, retired police and celebrities) able to get permits, New York City's licensing process is almost certainly unconstitutional on a number of grounds,including sheer arbitrariness...

Having said that, Burress is an idiot. If you're going to spend $500.00 or so for a gun, then spring for a $50.00 holster. And don't ever carry a gun stuffed into your sweatpants!

NY Broke, Again

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson, convinced the state faces its worst fiscal crisis since the mid-1970s, will deliver the grim news in an unprecedented special address to New Yorkers as soon as tomorrow night, The Post has learned.
The governor's address - which his aides hope will be televised by public and cable news stations - will say that plunging state revenues will force painful cuts in state services, necessitate a reduction in the state work force, possibly through layoffs, and require other difficult economic measures, source said.

Where have I heard that before. Look for the final solution to be higher taxes and another cave in to the unions and other parasites that hold the state hostage. This just means that more taxpayers, businesses and jobs will be heading for the exits in even greater numbers. Upstate New York is already the Detroit of the northeast and eventually the state will be empty outside of a hundred mile radius of NYC, which won't be far behind.