Residents are fleeing New York — yet Albany won’t fix the problems
By Post Editorial Board
December 27, 2015 | 8:05pm
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Photo: AP
Last one out, turn off the lights. And in New York, that might be sooner than anyone thought.
As the Empire Center noted last week, 153,921 more residents moved out of New York than moved in from other states over the 12 months through July 1, new US Census data show.
That brings New York’s total “net domestic migration” loss since 2010 to 653,071.
And here’s a dubious distinction for the state: That loss is bigger than in any other state for those years — in both absolute terms and per capita.
The outflow means an ever-smaller share of the nation’s population is choosing to live in New York. And that has consequences: The state is now on track to lose yet another congressional seat after the next 10-year census.
What’s driving folks out? Well, here’s a good guess: Jobs — or, rather, a lack of them. Especially in the economically comatose regions upstate. And especially after Gov. Cuomo nixed upstate’s one hope for an economic revival: fracking.
Fact is, businesses have been shunning New York — and taking their jobs with them — for years, thanks to the state’s reputation for skyscraper-high taxes and onerous regulations.
It’s no coincidence, after all, that every year, groups like the Tax Foundation rank New York at the bottom of the barrel for business. Yet when it comes to easing taxes or rolling back out-of-control regulations, the best Albany has done is tinker at the margins.
True, the state can still depend on New York City to generate cash — for the economy and Albany’s coffers. But the overall long-term downward trend isn’t healthy.
Question is: Will anyone ever lift a finger to reverse it?
http://nypost.com/2015/12/27/residents-are-fleeing-new-york-yet-albany-wont-fix-the-problems/ |
