Like Rats Feeling a Sinking Ship

Like California, New York has been gouging the people living within its borders for more and more tax money and like the people of California the people of New York are fleeing the state:

New York State accounted for the biggest migration exodus of any state in the nation between 2000 and 2010, with 3.4 million residents leaving over that period, according to the Tax Foundation.

Over that decade the state gained 2.1 million, so net migration amounted to 1.3 million, representing a loss of $45.6 billion in income.

Where are they escaping to? The Tax Foundation found that more than 600,000 New York residents moved to Florida over the decade – opting perhaps for the Sunshine State’s more lenient tax system – taking nearly $20 billion in adjusted growth income with them.

Once again we return to the fact that demanding more from the wealthy accomplishes nothing because they are also the individuals most able to flee. Some of the wealthiest individuals have been abandoning the United States because of the oppressive tax system, which is why the state is now pushing for a Nazi-esque tax for those leaving the country (and before somebody claims Godwin’s Law note that said law doesn’t apply when one is making an accurate historical reference).

As our cracking economy beings to come apart entirely we can look forward to more individual states increasing tax rates and implementing taxes for leaving. No country can tax its way to prosperity because those being taxes will eventually get sick enough of having their wealth stolen and either leave, abandon all productive endeavors (often referred to as going Galt), or do business exclusively in the “unofficial” economy (often called the black market by racist propagandists (that was hyperbole, clam down) who believe such a label makes it sound sinister). Either way money is kept from the state, which causes the state to lash out more violently as it dies a slow death.