Create the fifty-first state by making New York City and surrounding counties their own state.

As upstate and northern New Yorkers know, we have been defined by what goes on in New York City, but New York City does not have the same goals or values that many of us have so we say it is high time for them to become their own state and let the rest of us go our own way. Upstate New York like Vermont has a strong farming community and many small businesses that would thrive if not burdened by the tax rates that come with New York City and the surrounding counties. Their lawmakers decide how we live, what we can own and what we can do, and that needs to change. The capital of New York is Albany, not New York City and we need them to go their own way and let the rest of us be free.