Dear Mr. Golisano,

Denouncing living in New York, while publicly addressing an audience of New Yorkers may or may not be politically correct, but quoting dollars saved, on a daily basis, by moving to Florida, is, well, offensive.

Sure, you’ve been a good citizen; a philanthropist, a business leader, and you’ve aspired to be our Governor, several times. You have certainly earned your right to be heard. Most of us New Yorkers cannot even fathom how much money you have. It’s simply beyond our grasp.

But we can certainly grasp the fact that you’ll pay more in taxes here, in a week, than many of us will make all year. Was it your intention to remind us of how small, compared to yours, is our piece of the pie?

Can a man with so much money seriously be driven from a state, for economic reasons? I can hear the family argument: “Honey, I know your friends and family are all here, but we just can’t afford to live here anymore. This new tax rate is eating us alive. I’ll be lucky to have a billion or two left over when they bury me!”

 Sure, you’ve tied this move to philanthropy, saying you’d prefer to give your money to ‘worthy’ causes. Apparently New York State does not measure up. Yet, was it not here that you received your education, got your start, and made your mark? Did New York only recently begin to not measure up? Do you think you’d be where you are today if you’d grown up in Florida? Is there maybe a debt to be paid?

Okay, forget the debt, that’s fair. But please, those of us who do not possess YOUR options to simply pick up and move would rather you left quietly, except, of course, for the sound of that door... on your way out.

Tim Villard

© 2009 Timothy O. Villard - 5/15/09

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