New York’s empire is shrinking

Press Republican ^ | 8/25/03 | Matt Smith

[qam1]

Perhaps it’s time for the Empire State to change its tourism slogan, because apparently, not everyone loves New York.

A recent Cornell University poll found the majority of upstate residents would gladly leave New York if they were able to find a job elsewhere — even if they were paid less than they’re making now.

"For certain people, you couldn’t pay them enough to stay," Cornell Sociology Professor David Brown told The Post-Standard of Syracuse, which reported the poll results last week. In fact, some upstaters are so fed up with New York that 22 percent of the poll’s respondents said they expected to flee the state by 2008.

"Even if you cut that in half, and if only 10 percent really, legitimately, expect to be out of here, then I think this shows an underlying dynamic of migration," Brown told the newspaper.

The poll comes on the heels of a U.S. Census Bureau report released earlier this month that showed New York lost more people than any other state in the nation during the last half of the 1990s.

Some 874,000 people left the state between 1995 and 2000, the census reported.

Not surprisingly, the majority of those people — more than 308,000 — migrated from New York to Florida.

But not everyone who ditched the Empire State did so for warmer weather and southern hospitality. More than 109,000 people left New York for New Jersey, and another 45,000 relocated to Pennsylvania.

The data from both the census and Cornell poll mark a remarkably stark contrast to the rosy picture of New York state Gov. George Pataki often tries to paint.

When listening to the governor, you often hear him speak of revitalized communities, and the thousands of new jobs that have been created under his leadership.

True, New York has added jobs since Pataki took office nine years ago, and, in 1999 and 2000, the state’s job growth was slightly higher than the national average. It’s also fair to note that New York’s population grew during the last decade by 5.5 percent.

But most of that population growth occurred in New York City and was due largely to immigration. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, the state’s second-largest city, the population plunged by 10.8 percent. And, despite New York’s 5.5-percent population gain, its overall growth lagged far behind the rest of the nation, causing the state to lose two congressional seats.

With a decline in congressional representation comes a decline in influence. And, to give you an idea of just how much influence New York has lost over the years, consider this: During the 1940s, New York had 45 congressional seats. Now, it has 29.

Nonetheless, Pataki routinely lauds New York as "the greatest state in the nation," despite the very real problems that plague upstate.

In Buffalo, for instance, police responded to 90 shootings between June and August and a state control board had to step in to take over the city’s finances.

Rochester’s economy continues its struggle as companies such as Eastman Kodak cut jobs.

The answer to economic salvation in Syracuse, meanwhile, is the construction of a giant mall, which for the time being has been killed by the State Legislature.

And the Catskills, as it has for more than two decades, continue to bank its hopes on casinos that still aren’t there.

To no one’s surprise, those fleeing New York cite high taxes, the high cost of living and the lack of good-paying jobs. In fact, six of seven respondents to the Cornell poll said the state has done only a fair to poor job in retaining jobs and economic growth.

Unless New York finds a way to turn the tide, the upstate exodus will only continue. After all, the massive tax hike passed by state lawmakers this year certainly won’t encourage people to stay, and the weather won’t, either.

New York has now fallen to the third-largest state in the nation, surpassed in 2000 by Texas, and federal officials are already predicting New York will fall to fourth behind Florida in 2010.

Sure, that’s still seven years away.

But the Cornell poll and census report only serve as the latest evidence that such a prediction is about to come true.

Readers may send their comments to Ottaway News Service, Press Room, The Capitol, Albany, New York, 12224. E-mail address is msottaway@aol.com . This column is the opinion of the writer and not necessarily of this newspaper.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

To no one’s surprise, those fleeing New York cite high taxes, the high cost of living and the lack of good-paying jobs.

That'll do it!

[Joe Brower]

Insanely high real estate taxes are my my relatives who live in the Catskills are most disenchanted. The rates are sky-high, and none of it stays in their area -- it all goes to feed the socialist hive called New York City.

[.cnI redruM]

New York remains a high-tax, high regulation state. Anyone with a functioning brain leaves this type of state. If it costs too much to live, people have to leave.

[Fraulein]

BTTT

[volchef]

They're all fleeing NY due to high taxes and moving here to South Florida where they routinely vote for the same failed economic policies they say they're trying to get away from. Idiots.

[KellyAdmirer]

A life-long New Yorker, I left it a couple years ago for the reasons in the article among other things (Hillary contributed, too), though I still maintain a place there. It has a lot of good points, but not if you want a good quality of life. Upstate? It is gradually turning into a wildlife preserve.

[publius1]

You've got a lagging economy, a command-and-control government given to nanny legislation, and a tax system that soaks you for everything--as much as 25% of the utility bill, for example, is taxes. At some point common sense says, "I've got no opportunities, the government tells me what to do, and then taxes it all, what the hell am I doing here?"

How odd is this government? Recently a developer said he wanted to invest $2.3 billion Upstate. In return, he asked that the State agree that certain tax credits for which he would be eligible under current law not be tampered with, that is, that he be treated exactly as the law provides. So far, the State has refused to make that pledge--obviously because it would limit its options in the future!

Command and control; or, to put it another way: own it, control it, or destroy it, that's the governing philosophy.

[lelio]

Meanwhile, in Buffalo, the state?s second-largest city, the population plunged by 10.8 percent.

Yowzers!

[goldylight]

They think upstates bad, they should try living on LI

[lelio]

Recently a developer said he wanted to invest $2.3 billion Upstate...

Did he forget to give a 1% tithe to Hillary? Worked for TATA the Indian offshoring company (which actually will take away jobs) to setup shop in Buffalo. When will the peons wake up that the government doesn't really like them that much?

[SkyPilot]

The only businesses in Syracuse that seemed to be thriving when I last visited there were: funeral homes and private adult care centers.

If the officials could figure out a way to tax each camp or home on Skaneatles and Otisco lake $15,000,000 each---they would do it.

[.cnI redruM]

Yeah, but they have Cynthia McKinney and the rest of us don't. Oops, that's actually a bad thing, a very bad thing. Not only is their population in decline, but so is the state's average IQ.

[1Old Pro]

Liberal Democrats and Left leaning Republicans run the state. Is it any wonder it is deteriorating?? When will people learn.

[mewzilla]

Hmmmm...Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo. The blue bits of the state. If the red bits could just secede...

[RJL]

Apparently liberals didn’t learn from their debacle in the big cities and they are now busy exporting failure to the big states.

[q_an_a]

i thought the Klintons moved to NY to fix all the employment problems. What happpened, did they forget how the magic they created in the WH was not something they did but happened in spite of the,?

[Woodman]

Bu!! real estate taxes are set and collected by the local government, not a penny of that money goes to NYC. NYC BTW has much lower real estate taxes than LI, NJ or Upstate, locals I have talked to from those areas are proud of their high taxes which keep the "wrong" people from moving to their area.

[Alberta's Child]

Something doesn't sound right about that post. I believe real estate taxes in New York are assessed at the municipal and county levels, not at the state level. I don't doubt that the real estate taxes are high, but I don't think it's for the reason you mentioned.

In fact, upstate New York is a "recipient" region when it comes to state taxes -- it pays less in state taxes than it receives in state spending. So you can imagine how high the tax burden must be in New York City.

[wayoverontheright]

To no one’s surprise, those fleeing New York cite high taxes, the high cost of living and the lack of good-paying jobs.

Those same high taxes make business feel unwelcome, which creates the lack of good-paying jobs, and of course, the high cost of living.