You need to be like Illinois and starve the beast by having the productive members move to red states.
Already happening here (and in neighboring NY); that is why we are “sanctuary states” (just to keep the housing occupied/public schools open).
A few years ago, NJ’s wealthiest resident (hedge fund manager David Tepper) moved to Florida, and the state had to revise its budget because of the lost income tax revenue he took with him. They revised their budget because ONE MAN moved out...
The productive members for the most part are leaving, and not necessarily by choice; there is little opportunity here, and younger professionals who aren’t tied to mortgages and/or families here are fleeing in droves. NJ is looking at “free tuition” in a lame attempt to keep them here; I don’t know if it will work. In neighboring NY, the “free tuition” has an indentured servitude aspect to it - you must remain in the state one year for each year you’ve accepted “free tuition” -and you can bet you’ll be working those years if you want to survive in these high-cost states. Even if there is no work in your field/area of study, you’d just have to work a McJob or three to get by...