Florida billionaire calls for mob rule in New York

Tom Golisano

Billionaire Tom Golisano relocated from Buffalo to Florida in 2009, thereby saving himself $14,000 per day in New York taxes.  Those of us staying behind in New York wish Golisano well, and many of our neighbors have followed him to the Sunshine State.  But here's the deal, Tom: once you've abandoned the Empire State, keep your nose out of it!

Today we learned that Golisano has thrown his fortune behind the movement for mob rule:

Tom Golisano opened the post-New York, post-Buffalo Sabres phase of his public career Tuesday by becoming national spokesman for a movement that aims to make sure that the presidential candidate who gets the most votes actually wins the presidency.

"I wanted to take a leadership role in this campaign because I believe that every vote should count equally," said Golisano, who just turned over the Sabres to new owner Terry Pegula. "The president we choose represents this entire nation, and we should all count when making that choice. Our presidential election should be truly democratic."

In New York, the National Popular Vote bill passed the State Senate last year but never made it to the floor of the Assembly.

The bill's nationwide approval, Golisano said, would enliven presidential politics in states such as New York, which is so strongly Democratic that neither major-party presidential nor vice presidential candidate made a campaign appearance in the state after the 2008 party conventions.

Our founders created the Electoral College for a reason, Tom.  While New York tends to slavishly follow the national trend towards increasing statism, we have surprisingly not yet abandoned the Electoral College.  New Yorkers, as you're well aware, pay a big price to live here.  We can make our own decisions, pal.