Inspired Idiot of the Week: Governor Kathy Hochul edition

In August 2022, at a campaign rally in Kingston, New York, Governor Kathy Hochul had a message for anyone who didn’t share her political views.

“Just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong,” she said. “Get out of town. Because you do not represent our values. You are not New Yorkers.”

Well, a lot of people took her advice.

Over the past several years, more than 125,000 New Yorkers relocated to Florida. And they weren’t the illegals suckling the teet of free government money; most of the 125,000 who left were very wealthy taxpayers. And they didn’t just bring their suitcases— they brought their money.

And the thing about New York’s tax system is that those ultra-wealthy matter A LOT. Just over 3,000 wealthy taxpayers in New York— the top 0.03%— generate roughly 19% of the state’s income tax revenue.

So without those same taxpayers that Hochul chased away, the state’s tax revenue plummeted.

And naturally Governor Hochul is now singing a very different tune. She recently spoke at a political conference saying,

“I need people who are high net worth to support the generous social programs that we want to have in our state. Now, there are some patriotic millionaires who stepped up— cut me the checks if you want to be supportive. But maybe the first step should be to go down to Palm Beach and see who we can bring back home, because our tax base has been eroded.”

Read that again. In 2022, she told anyone who disagreed politically to get out of town. In 2026, she’s practically begging millionaires to come back… almost like it’s some sort of membership drive.

Moreover, just a few days after her desperate plea for millionaires, Hochul published an op-ed announcing that she wants to postpone implementation of New York’s cap-and-invest climate program— the centerpiece of the state’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Why? Because her own state agency’s official analysis projected the regulations could increase utility bills by over $4,100 a year and increase gas prices by an additional $2.23 per gallon.

Of course, that is the entire point for climate fanatics. They WANT the costs of carbon based fuels to rise to discourage use.

Which is probably why Hochul doesn’t want to REPEAL the law. She wants to DELAY it.

Hochul wants to push full implementation out until the end her second full term as governor… so that it won’t be her problem politically.

Although the climate law was passed before her tenure, Hochul embraced it as her own— issuing a 2022 executive order to accelerate its implementation, personally announcing the cap-and-invest program in her 2023 State of the State address, and calling herself “the staunchest environmentalist and fighter of climate change in New York’s history.”

Kathcy Hochul, like so many other politicians of her ilk, is an inspired idiot.

She thinks it’s great to demonize the other side and tell them to get the hell out while she’s on the campaign trail.

Then reality hits, and she realizes those are her tax cows she needs to milk if she has any hope of paying for her “generous social programs” that convince welfare queens and illegal immigrants to vote for her.

She thinks it’s great to play climate crusader when there’s a camera rolling. Until rising utility costs infuriate voters and threaten her own political career.

This is why having a Plan B matters so much. When your state views you primarily as a source of revenue to fund programs you didn’t ask for and don’t benefit from, the rational move is to go somewhere you are wanted.

The same thing can happen at the national level. And it’s not that hard to give yourself the option (but not the obligation), through foreign residency or citizenship, to move somewhere that welcomes you, with a lower cost of living, with better tax rates, or a more friendly atmosphere.

And that’s really what a Plan B is all about— making sure you always have options.

Source

Simon Black is an international investor, entrepreneur and permanent traveler. His daily letter is both educational and entertaining, and we suggest that those who want unbiased, actionable information about global opportunities sign up for Sovereign Man’s free, actionable newsletter at http://www.SovereignMan.com.

From Simon Black of SovereignMan.com

Source: https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/inspired-idiot-of-the-week-governor-kathy-hochul-edition-154899/