Taxing Times

After spending their entire lives living on Long Island, my parents are selling their house and moving to Delaware. My Dad is sick of the high taxes and the local village police department because they are always giving people traffic tickets. After buying a house in Suffolk county in January, my wife and I are struggling to pay the bills. Who is to blame for the current tax crisis that is driving people to move out of state? I put a lot of the blame on the residents and voters (including my Dad & myself). Raymond Keating of Newsday agrees.

But guess where ultimate blame lies? If you don't vote, you're to blame. If you buy into the baseless spin that more must be spent to get better results in government, you're to blame. If you voted for school budgets hiking spending andtaxes, you're to blame. If you ignore widespread government waste, you're to blame. If you vote for candidates who love government more than taxpayers, you're to blame.

Too many Long Islanders have mindlessly voted over the years for government that most of us cannot afford without extreme sacrifice. Will the people and politicians come to their senses and cut government? Or will they play the avoidance game, like shifting and ultimately increasing burdens by adding on other taxes? Or maybe it's easier to move and leave the mess for others to clean up.