Regardless of what our rulers in the ASSembly and Senate say, we are going to have to be prepared to bend over and pay a heck of a lot more for the "privilege" of living in New York. The legislature has little leeway in tweaking the governors budget. It is pretty much an accept it as-is or reject it. The Senate is complaining that the budget raises taxes and fees by $4.5 billion. I fully expect those idiots convince Cuomo to shave $500 million from that and then crow in their periodic self-effacing mailings that they should be re-elected in November because they "saved" taxpayers $500 million while overlooking the fact that they raised taxes by $4 billion.
I so hate this state that I spend a lot more mental energy now trying to be the least monetarily productive for the state as possible and as little participatory in the system as possible. If even 10% of the working class said @#$(* it and did as little as possible to feed the machine, Albany would have a fit. I have never owned a property, tried a few times but next to impossible as a single on Long Island, but now am grateful I never took the plunge with the corruption and out of control taxes in Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County and New York State. It dawned on the me the other day, in a moment of brilliance I think, that maybe giving up on the idea of ever owning a property would be a good idea and to instead get a camper such as a large Winnebago and live a portable life. I would have to dispose of 80% or more of my belongings but as I approach 55 this year it may not be a bad idea to start weeding out. Cherished things would go into a large storage unit somewhere and residence would be wherever long term parking for campers is allowed.