Statehood for Long Island? Is it feasible? Would Long Islanders be better off?

Question

Statehood for Long Island? Is it feasible? Would Long Islanders be better off?

Answer 1

I lived in Queens and thought we were a separate Country until the age of 6.  So, why not have a separate state for Long Island?

Answer 2

West Virginia not withstanding, The Constitution prohibits the formation of a state from parts of any other state, unless approved by the state and congress.   So that is one hurdle.  (WV gets a pass because it was admitted to the Union while Virginia was in secession - so technically it was not carved out of another state.)

Something tells me that Albany is unlikely to let go 90% of its tax base (NYC & LI)

Answer 3

I think it should be its own country....let that stinking, cesspool overcrowded, toxic, traffic nightmare island handle all of its own problems...

Answer 4

They're already in a world of their own!

Answer 5

I'm all in favor of LI and the 5 buroughs becomming a seperate state. Having lived in PA and VT, I am a frequent visitor to the Empire State and have done business both upstate and in the city.

I'm convinced the 90% of the state laws and regulatory agencies in New York State exist solely because of the city/LI. Most of these laws/acts/policies are in place only because there is such a diverse amount of regulations that need to be in place to manage a state that has the largest urban center in North America as well as largest tract of state managed forest in the US.

I've travelled to every corner of NYS and have relatives scattered all through the state as well. People who live in Binghamton, Watertown, Syracuse, Elmira, and Lake Placid don't need the same laws and reguations that are needed in Nassau County or on Staten Island.

The vast majority of the state would do better with stronger local government ordinances better suited to the needs of the locals. One would say this would make law enforcement a major chore as Ulster county could pass laws outlawing something that is legal in Sullivan county, and criminals would migrate to smaller towns with less laws on the books, but in reality its much easier for crime to spread to PA, NJ, and CT as it has been doing for decades now.

I don't think Islanders or NYC residents would be better off, but the rest of the state would fair better. I think the distribution of taxes might effect some places more unequally at first, but eventually things would settle out. Albany would have to change the way it budgets money, and they could probably close two of the state office towers because they could lay-off 50% of the people working there. They would just take their jobs back down to the city.

I'm also in favor of the Northern Tier counties splitting off and uniting with Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Quebec, and New Brunswick to establish an entirely new country. (I'monly half kidding...if it was economically sustainable I'd support it...h**l, I'd move there.)