State Sen. Kenneth LaValle, R-Port Jefferson, joined by Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr., R-Sag Harbor, want a task force to start studying the matter. They claim Long Islanders send to Albany $3 billion more in taxes each year than they get back in state aid. The final straw, they say, is the measure calling for a $1.5 billion payroll tax to help bail out New York City's transit system.
A couple of points worth mentioning: Many of those Long Islanders no doubt take advantage of that transit system when they commute to and from the city for work -- where they also earn the money that generates the taxes they pay to Albany. Cut off Long Island from the New York metro area, and you also cut yourself off from the industrial and financial lifeline that has generated nearly one-third of the state's tax revenue.
There's something to be said for Long Island returning to its bucolic, pastoral past. But is that really what advocates of secession have in mind?
A couple of points worth mentioning: Many of those Long Islanders no doubt take advantage of that transit system when they commute to and from the city for work -- where they also earn the money that generates the taxes they pay to Albany. Cut off Long Island from the New York metro area, and you also cut yourself off from the industrial and financial lifeline that has generated nearly one-third of the state's tax revenue.
There's something to be said for Long Island returning to its bucolic, pastoral past. But is that really what advocates of secession have in mind?
