PERRY HERALD

Perry, NY

April 8, 1971

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Editorials

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Making An “Inner State”

It’s hard to believe the New York Legislature and the state administration would take the state down the very same road that has resulted in disaster in the state’s cities. Yet there is every indication that the politicians do not learn history lessons as well as they learn political lessons.

The case in point is this year’s state budget and its resulting increase of many of the states taxes. This type of irresponsible leadership can turn the state into an “inner state” just as many cities are plagued and blighted by “inner cities”.

Howard F. Carver, president of Rochester’s based Gleason Works, said it loud and plain for all to hear. “The business climate has been consistently deteriorating in New York State which already has the dubious distinction of having the highest sales and income taxes per person of any state in the union. In such a climate firms operation in the state of New York have no choice but to look elsewhere for future expansion”.

Mr. Carver coupled this pronouncement with the decision of his company not to build its planned new plant at Honeoye Falls where it had already purchased ground for such a purchase.

What Mr. Carver said other business leaders are thinking and doing and it is no secret that given any kind of choice industries are looking elsewhere for plant location and expansion. Not every corporation says it so pointly and clearly as Mr. Carver. They just act.

To all of those who are seeking more state funds for whatever purpose it would be well to heed Mr. Carver’s words. The needs may be quite worthy as they so very often are but high sounding programs and worthy expenditures are hollow indeed if the wherewithal to put them into being has been forced from the state leaving behind the hollow shell with which so many cities find themselves when those forces of free and easy spending take over.

The urban potholes of our state stand out in sharp contrast as blind politicians spent and spent, taxed and taxed and finally drove out the revenue producers, leaving stagnant inner city slums in their wake.  Are our state politicians on the same disastrous course?

Mr. Carver and a lot of others who have much to do in making the decisions in the wake of our spend and spend, tax and tax policies think so. When you write to your legislators do not demand more spending resulting in higher taxes and eventually in a blighted “inner state”. Instead ask them to be more realistic and solicitous of those who produce the needed revenues. Without them the finest programs won’t get very far.

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Gleason Works have been in the same location in Rochester since 1911. Mr. Carver was true to his words and never did build in Honeoye Falls. Gleason Works went elsewhere to expand. Their two US companies are in Loves Park, IL and Dayton, Ohio with overseas companies under the Gleason umbrella in Germany, Switzerland, India and China. Who can blame them for not building another location in New York?  The list is endless as to how many large manufacturing firms have left New York State to find a more welcome business climate elsewhere.

Have our politicians in Albany paid attention to anything they have done in the last forty years? Nope. They do the same things over and over.  We still have the highest income taxes per person of any state in the country, the 5^th highest in sales tax; and businesses and residents are leaving in droves.

The term IDIOT, it is said, means a person who does the same thing over and over and expects different results. I think that covers it, don’t you?