Posted on 01/31/2026 1:07:43 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Billions in taxpayer money have disappeared in Minnesota...but it’s not just Minnesota. There are other blue states where billions in taxpayer funds seem to be unaccountable. What happened to the missing money?
Obviously, it went into someone’s account, at times with the knowledge of state officials who may have received contributions or votes to remain silent, but into whose account?
The contrast between New York and Florida in this regard, as in so much else, is revealing. The marginal income tax rate in New York state is 10.9% (nearly 15% in NYC ), along with sales taxes nearly 9% in some counties and additional local fees and a statewide inheritance tax. Altogether, state taxes in New York can reach 35% (counting inheritance tax) — and this on top of federal taxes.
There is no state income tax in Florida, there is no inheritance tax, and food and pharmacy items are exempt from sales tax. Yet the quality of life, measured by most objective standards, is higher in Florida.
New York collects far more in taxes from its residents, but they seem to get little in return. Certainly not better policing — the crime rate in New York state is 46 per thousand annually, among the highest in the U.S. In Florida, the crime rate is 25 per thousand, with a rate of 3.8 per thousand for violent crimes, making it below the national average.
What about education? According to U.S. News & World Report, Florida ranks first in the nation in combined K–12 and higher education metrics, and has done so for the past two years. New York ranks 17th, just above Kansas. Yet for 2024–25, New York was projected to have spent $33,437 per student on education, double the national average. According to the same survey, Florida spent $12,415.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
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How about roads? Florida’s road system ranks 14th in the nation in performance and cost-effectiveness. New York’s road system ranks 45th overall and 47th in traffic congestion despite higher spending. New York doesn’t do so well on policing, roads, or education, but it spends $4,003 per capita on welfare, whereas Florida spends $1,709.
According to StatsAmerica, New York spends the fourth highest amount on welfare in the U.S., Florida the fourth lowest. But that welfare spending doesn’t make residents safer or more employable. Maybe it just buys votes, or perhaps it disappears in the same way that Medicaid payments are alleged to have done in Minnesota. Whatever the reason, despite its higher spending, 14.2% of New Yorkers and 25% of New York City residents live below the federal poverty level. In Florida, the rate is 12.6%.
I would love to see a comparison of Florida with every blue state. Even where Florida doesn’t beat them fiscally on a service/issue I’ll bet on effectiveness or citizen satisfaction Florida wins out. It ain’t perfect, but it’s better than any place blue by a wide margin.
Make America Florida.
I don’t know about education in Fla. I do know that for the houses in the neighborhood I grew up in NYS collects an average of $40,000 per year for taxes and for that - just drive, like I did recently- from Greenwich, Conn to Dobbs Ferry, NY. The Merritt Parkway is normal roadway. You enter NY and get on the Cross-Westchester hang on to your Starbucks cup - it’s a bumpy ride.
So dumb
Please pick another state. We are full up here with carpetbaggers. Worse verbal emanation from one of them is gee this is not how we did this back north.
SeekAndFind wrote: “How can the schools be so much better in Florida, which spends slightly more than one third on education as New York? It must be corruption, inefficiency, or just “higher cost,” or some combination of the three.”
There’s a fourth factor, the kinds/quality of teachers in Florida compared to New York.
it’s not the teachers as much as it is the local families ... depending on your locality ... some are absolutely great ... others not so much ... it depends on where you reside ...
Florida sucks. Please, liberals, stay away. Move to Kali.
No mention of property tax comparison in this article.
On a $500,000 house I suspect NY is higher than FL.
All good stuff.
I’ll cut some slack for the road thing. Freeze/thaw is the biggest killer of roadways (along with heavy vehicles). All northern states have issues with roads because of that. Florida catches a break as freeze/thaw cycles are minimal.
Yeah. What kind of state is this? Lows in the 30s. Dead iguanas all over the ground. The fish won’t be biting for a week. This place sucks.
“Dead iguanas all over the ground.”
That one still gets me laughing. ONLY in Florida does the weather chick warn of “falling iguanas”, and they mean it!
“What Do New Yorkers Get for Their High Taxes?”
The shaft...richly deserved.
At least the snakes are down.
When I moved to Florida (2021 - 2025), I made sure that particular epithet didn’t pass my lips most times. I enjoyed things down there. I’ll fondly remember the grits, king cakes and Milo’s sweet tea.
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