Valley Viewpoint: One-Third Want to Leave — And Albany Still Doesn’t Get It

A new poll reported by the New York Post found that roughly one-third of New Yorkers are considering leaving the state within the next five years.
That’s not noise.
That’s not partisan spin.
That’s a warning.
And yet, if you watch the political theater coming out of Albany — and increasingly from newly elected Democrats across the state — you would think the real emergency is staging the perfect protest about some ideological crusade that has exactly zero impact on the daily life of the people they represent.
This Isn’t Just About Cost. It’s About Disconnect.
Yes, affordability matters. Of course it does.
But beneath the numbers is something deeper — a sense that the political class is talking to itself.
When residents are worried about property taxes, public safety, small business survival, infrastructure, and whether their kids can build a future here — and elected officials are holding press conferences about national culture wars or symbolic resolutions that change nothing locally — people notice.
They notice what gets urgency.
They notice what gets applause.
They notice what gets ignored.
The Performative Politics Problem
We’ve now entered an era where some newly elected Democrats seem more interested in staking out ideological purity than delivering practical results.
They protest federal policies they have no jurisdiction over.
They pass symbolic measures with no enforcement power.
They posture for social media clips that will live far longer than any meaningful legislation.
Meanwhile, the roads still need paving.
Small towns still struggle with budgets.
Families still need responsive government.
There’s a difference between advocacy and performance.
And voters can tell which one they’re watching.
Voters Can Handle Hard Truths. They Can’t Handle Being Dismissed.
New Yorkers are resilient. We’ve weathered recessions, pandemics, blizzards, blackouts. We don’t scare easily.
But what grates is the sense that everyday concerns are treated as secondary to ideological signaling.
When one in three residents is contemplating leaving, the appropriate response isn’t:
“We need another symbolic vote.”
“We need to condemn something happening 1,000 miles away.”
“We need to issue another statement.”
The appropriate response is humility.
It’s asking:
What are we missing?
Why are people this restless?
What can we actually fix?
Here in the Hudson Valley, the frustration isn’t loud — it’s steady.
It’s the small business owner who shrugs and says, “I don’t think they get it.”
It’s the young family quietly browsing homes in another state.
It’s the retiree wondering whether their savings stretch far enough here.
People aren’t fleeing because they hate New York.
They’re questioning whether New York’s leadership understands them anymore.
That’s the real crisis.
Because once the bond between citizen and government frays — once residents conclude their elected officials are more focused on ideological pageantry than practical governance — they don’t argue.
They pack.
And no protest sign in Albany will stop that moving truck.