Local Taxpayers Lose $10,000 per year due to lower property values

One thing the conservatives are correct on is the slow, dismantling and closing of our public schools, to pay for automatic salary and step increases, pensions and healthcare for union teachers in our Soviet-style monopolistic school systems.  The very bad economy and the lack of government money has exposed the illogical public school system which has grown into a monster, which is eating NY State taxpayers alive. What is the evidence of this?  As Governor Cuomo openly admits, young adults are leaving NY State in droves due to lack of job opportunities.  Do you want more evidence?  How about property tax values plummeting in many upstate areas?  Locally, property values have gone down as much as 5 percent per year.  What is 5 percent of a $200,000 house?  Thats's right.  A loss of $10,000 per year by taxpayers to finance a bloated public school system, which is paying good teachers more than we can afford.  The time for the conservative idea of school vouchers, school choice, and school competition among public, private and parochial schools, has come.