Seems to me that in general you get what you pay for. I know little about NY, but MN also is known for high taxes: real estate, income, sales taxes. But with those taxes we have good to excellent school systems, good roads, fabulous environment (from ag to forest to lake to wilderness) with a high level of environmental protection, great recreation during all 4 season, yes we have 4 seasons and the cold winters kill most of the bugs, great culture in Minneapolis-St.Paul and out-state centers as well. All of these are expensive. We also have high-tech industries and world-class medical facilities (Mayo Clinic, for example, among others), home to fortune 500 companies (3M among others). There is a reason for this -- well-educated work force and quality of life. In the final analysis, for me it is quite annoying and the epitome of greed for people to want everything good but not pay for it. And if someplace else seems to have it all and low taxes, then someone else, or the environment, is carrying the load, and Mother Nature won't accept abuse for long without changing something in a dramatic way that just might not be too good for evolution gone awry in the form of humans.