Posted on 04/14/2008 6:52:53 AM PDT by bobconfer
CONFER: Why your loved ones have left NY
The chances are very good that you know someone who has left New York. According to the US Census Bureau, from July 2006 to July 2007 the Buffalo-Niagara region lost 5,166 people and since 2000 the Rochester area has lost over 7,300 of its residents.
The numbers are staggering but they tell little of the toll on our society. Emotionally, it can be quite taxing for families to be torn apart by this mass exodus with many older parents and grandparents wondering if they’ll ever see their children and grandchildren again. Socially, this loss of loved ones accounts for broken family units and a dampening of traditional values. For many of us, growing up with our extended families was the norm; most kin held to their roots and found a home in the area. Now, strong extended families have become a quant rarity, people abandoning their roots and, in their new homes, suffering from the lack of family members who were always there to lean on in times of need or to share special times with. Worse yet, their children grow up lacking the important guidance and loving care of grandparents, aunts, and uncles that many of us took for granted.
The underlying question of all this heartbreak and decay is a simple: “why?”
The answer is always the same: these people left WNY because there’s nothing here for them. Long gone are the days when a long-term job that provided a decent wage and benefits could be readily found in the region. Unable to find such careers, workers have no choice but to find their American Dream elsewhere, typically in a far-away state where economies are healthy and their urban areas are growing at amazing rates.
To truly understand why this happening, the questioning should be taken one step further. People need to ask: “why have the jobs gone?”
The answer to this is that the great, large companies that once dominated our landscape have either closed shop or moved on to other states because through the years our elected officials have made it incredibly difficult to own and operate a business in the Empire State and be competitive. Thanks to high taxes, foolish regulations, a worsening energy crisis and an ever-growing government, the cost of doing business in New York is the second highest in the United States, second only to Hawaii, figuratively and literally an island unto themselves.
Last week I conducted my annual study of Confer Plastics’ financials to determine just how much money it lost by having its operations based solely in NY. I looked at seven key cost factors that our elected officials have control of or impact upon: electricity, natural gas, workers compensation, health insurance, auto insurance, gasoline, and property taxes.
With every one of those factors, New York state is much more expensive than the states which offer my greatest competition (Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania). Comp insurance costs 43 percent more here. They pay only 56 percent of what we do for property taxes. The one cost, though, that stands out the most is power since electricity is our third highest expense behind material and labor. Our foes pay exactly half of what we do. This is unbelievably frustrating since we have a natural dynamo — the Niagara River — right in our own backyard.
Taken in total, the seven factors amounted to a loss of revenues of $740,000 for my company versus what my competition pays. That means that the cost of doing business in NY (as a decrease in existing revenues) is 4 percent. This number is not unique to the plastics industry because the same cost factors are shared by any manufacturer regardless if it might specialize in metals, chemicals or automotive manufacturing. Competitively, this 4 percent mark-down is significant. Assume that a NY manufacturer makes a part that he could sell to a client for $100. His competition would come in at $96. If this is a high-volume part the client would definitely say “no!” to the NY manufacturer.
The businesses that stay here and try to compete under such circumstances face an uphill battle every minute of every day, looking for ways to cut costs while attempting to develop new technologies and processes without the monetary edge that our competitors have.
Many other business owners don’t have ties or roots as strong as mine and choose instead to wisely move to another state, one where it’s cheaper to do business. That’s why your loved ones left you. It was no fault of their own. They only sought what was best — despite the heartbreaks — and followed those businesses to prosperity, a place far away from New York and our sorry political/economic climate.
Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.
Leftist policies make life uncomfortable for normal, productive people and comfortable for the beneficiaries of our good will. When the hard workers leave a state, the liberals will try to get the federal government to tax them and send the money to the liberal government so it can waste the money and demand more.
Bob - Hello from a Buffalonian. WNY is like Eastern Europe. Everyone knows the problems, but those who can leave, while a larger portion of those who remain have in some way bought into the existing system. Therefore, change does not happen.
There is one way to force this change - seperation between New York City, and the remainder of Upstate. Make NY City a self-governing entity, perhaps similar to DC. Allow New York upstate to form its own state. It would change the politics and economics of Upstate NY in a radical way. Upstate NY could find the freedom from downstate politics, Gov’t unions, etc... and control its own resources such that it could become a “normal” state, like nearby Ohio.
My school taxes have gone up 19% in two years. They're anti-business, so no jobs for the young, who leave. They float environmental bonds every year, and we're at least 12 mill in the hole on those.
Our state taxes are a joke. Gas is about $3.50 per. When an upstate Republican proposed a plan to give some temporary relief, the NYC Dems shot it down. They don't drive, and they want the money. In NY they tax everything but the air. And they're working on that.
My Mom just died last week, and she was the only reason I've stayed. By next year, I'm either going south, or west, but I AM leaving. New York is a disaster.
Probably needed....but probably NEVER happen.
Hey Bob.... Guess who this is.... Click on my screen name.
thanks, bfl
The lamenting about families being torn apart didn't hold for me. My mom, 2 sisters and a brother all have moved since me.
That was a stupid promise. It’s not up to the federal government elected officials to provide local jobs; that’s up to the governor and mayors.
On second thought, the move has separated our family. My wife’s entire family is still in WNY. I suppose I should have thought a bit more before posting the previous.
In the last five years, I have noticed an influx of New Yorkers, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvanian folks moving into our area. They are intelligent and easy with which to work. Send em’ on...Mississippi welcomes them...
btt
Grew up there, relatives, friends... Although, I had to leave in 2006 when my property taxes went from 6k in 2002 to 15k in RVC, Nassau County ....
Enjoying Phoenix sun & golf for now....
since 2000 the Rochester area has lost over 7,300 of its residentsKodak, Xerox, and some other companies have been making cuts since about that time -- and those were not just entry-level positions. Thanks george.
Taxes are a killer. I have an almost 200-year old farm house (not the most modern house) on 5 acres of land. My taxes last year: $5,497.
“Wonder when the Rats and RINO’S are gonna figure this out.”
I will figure that out in the next couple of weeks: I plan to mail my column to all the state-level elected officials in the 3 counties where my column runs. I will post some of their responses here....if they respond at all.
One stat I always like to throw around....1 out of every 7 people in WNY is employed by the government. That 7 people includes children and seniors who can’t work!
“Do you know how to run a small business in NY? Buy a big one and give it some time.”
I love that line! I’m gonna have to use that now! Thanks!
I assume you are not paying city property taxes
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