Pols’ Plan To Kill New York: Bleeding Taxpayers Dry

New York’s political class seems intent on turning New York City into Detroit on the Hudson (“Bell tolls for NYC,” April 7).

By taxing and regulating us into oblivion, despite receiving billions in federal bailout money, lawmakers show that the politics of greed and envy are ascendant.

The end result of treating New York’s tax base as a target to be plundered will be the flight of businesses and residents to places where they can be free from such abuse, such as Florida and Texas.

New York needs to get back to normal. Everything needs to open. New Yorkers have shown incredible resilience during the pandemic. It would be a shame if we let the politicians put us down. M.B. White

Queens

It’s so sad to read about New York City, where I was born and where I lived most of my life.

I have three sons and grandchildren still living in the city, so my concern is personal.

I am retired now and living in Florida these past years, but have kept up on New York City. The debacle of the Mayor de Blasio era has been heartbreaking. New York City plummeted into the abyss, and COVID was the death knell.

My prayers go out to all the New Yorkers and businesspeople.

Walter Murray Clearwater, Fla.

How else can one describe these Albany politicians except “clueless”?

One needn’t spend more than a few minutes on any Manhattan thoroughfare to see that the sidewalks and buildings are empty.

The bodegas and lunch spots are deserted. Big corporations have figured out that they can survive and even thrive without requiring office attendance (especially in pricey New York City skyscrapers).

And with the news out of Albany, these companies are incentivized to desert their New York City compounds.

It doesn’t take much to see that what New York needs now is just the opposite. We’ve got to find a way to coax these companies into keeping jobs here. Edward Fest

Manhattan

Michael Goodwin is at it again — reprising his Chicken Little schtick that New York City faces doom (“Pols put NY in a death spiral,” April 7).

Well, the sky is not falling — far from it. It’s OK to come out of your bunker, Mike.

Terry O’Neill, Albany

I don’t often agree with Goodwin, but today, I couldn’t agree more. The “tax the rich” strategy will lead to a continued exodus out of the city.

In addition to taxes, the outright contempt shown by de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo for the very people who support the city’s museums, arts, hospitals and universities through philanthropy just to gain a few votes will ultimately backfire.

The city will certainly never recover if this crime spree continues. Where is the money supporting the NYPD in this tax package?

In addition, if the homeless and mentally ill continue to dominate New York City streets and subways, anyone who can leave will.

Start improving the quality of life for all of us first, then think about how else you’re going to spend the federal windfall.

Keep the city and state’s hands out of the citizens’ pocketbook. Laura Logue Rood

Manhattan

How shameful that New York City, once the most eminent, prolific, global venue, is currently languishing in imminent decomposition.

Crime, homelessness and skyrocketing taxes are all salient components of this pitiful debacle. People are vacating the city in droves, seeking respite from intolerable conditions.

The unwillingness of politicians to afford any basic quality-of-life assurances for residents to securely exist on a daily basis is egregiously contemptible.

New York City residents must emphatically reject such inept politicians for their gross malfeasance in upcoming elections. Otherwise, the once glorified New York City will perish into oblivion. Denis David East Rockaway