Bye Bye Binghamton
By Jim Willis on Oct 6, 2008 in Personal | Printable Version
The past month and a half has been…a blur, hard, ecstatic, challenging–a whole range of emotions. Why? We’ve moved! Finally. Out of the City of Binghamton to the “suburbs” of West Windsor, which is literally less than ten minutes from the edge of the City, but far enough out to have a rural flavor.
There were many things my family and I liked, and miss, about Binghamton…chief of which is the convenience of being close to many places we frequent–like the shopping Mecca of the Vestal Parkway. But there are many more things we did not and do not like. Like the recent 15% property tax hike Mayor Matt Ryan and the lapdog Citizen Action Council (formerly known as the Binghamton City Council) just passed for next year. And the water and sewer bill that is going up either 43% or 89%, depending on how you calculate it. (These percentages for property tax and water bill increases are not embellished–they are, in fact, real.) My condolences to our friends still living inside the City limits. You’re getting hosed by a bunch of socialists.
I expect you’ll find what has been a trickle of people leaving the City of Binghamton to become a steady stream, perhaps even a torrent. If the next election does not “toss the bums out” I predict the City, within a matter of a few years, will collapse economically as taxpayers continue exiting in droves and welfare frauds continue to move in.
Elections do have consequences. People do get “fed up” and take action. Eventually. It’s a shame the City of Binghamton has descended to such lows. But perhaps someone will rise to the occasion and challenge the socialistocracy that now runs it. One can only hope and pray.
In the meantime, my family and I are enjoying our country living and our beautiful new house. We thank God for His blessings of our new house, and for the speedy sale of the old house.
Thank you for your patience in my absence from writing this blog. And thank you to those who have told me they missed it. You have encouraged me to “pick up my pen” (or in this case my keyboard) and continue on. I’ll have more to say in the coming days and weeks about the impending election and how crucial it is that we vote. In the meantime, don’t forget to register–especially if you’ve moved since last year’s election. The deadlines are almost here.
Meanwhile, a question for you: Have you ever moved because of taxes and inept government? Have you recently moved for some other reason? If you have, leave me a comment and tell me about your experience. Are you glad you moved? Wish you had stayed? Say it in the comments!

justin | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
Glad to have you back to the blogging board Jim! We missed your creative and passionate blogs, and we certainly miss our former Binghamton neighbors!
Still living behind enemy lines, Justin
WHB | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
Jim, good to see you back up and running. Tax-flight of course is nothing new. I seem to remember a slogan i learned in grade school. “No taxation without representation.” What I am finding interesting is the declining influence of the voter (albeit indirectly). I cite the recent move by Bloomberg to turn back time and vanquish term limits. It seems he hopes to accomplish this without the vote of the people. If half or more of a voted body is about to be kicked out of office due to term limits just change the law so you can stay.
Then there is the growing influence of Soros and ACORN types. One a political machine the other a non-profit extension of political machines subverting the people. I think it was the Austrian economist Mises who said, “A democracy can only survive until the people realize they can vote themselves anything they want.”
Jim Willis | Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Justin. And thanks WHB. I appreciate the encouragement. You’re observations are keen WHB. Bloomberg reneging on term limits is only the latest example of leftist arrogance. The rule of law does not apply to those with no conscience.
I’ll never forget a sage old congressional aide I used to work with in Washington. His name was Jim McKenna. In a conversation we had one time, he made a comment something like, “Have you thought about the fact that no political system ever created by man has survived for more than a few hundred years? And that maybe, just maybe, democracy has failed?” That was in 1987. Quite sobering to a starry-eyed young man fresh from working at the White House and now working on The Hill. I still think about his comment from time to time.
Seems like we say this every four years, but somehow, this year it seems like the most important election we have had, or will have, in a generation. Will we embrace socialism, which inevitably leads to tyranny? Or will we step back from the brink? Tough to say at this point.