The 2009 election: Taxpayer revolt!

For those of you who didn’t vote in last week’s election — and based on the numbers, that includes far too many of you — tsk tsk. You owe your neighbors and fellow taxpayers who did vote a thank-you for saving you from the status quo.

What we saw last Tuesday was nothing short of a taxpayer revolt. It wasn’t partisan politics, but rather a sign that voters are disgusted with the current state of the economy and out-of-control, wasteful spending. This was particularly true in the suburbs of both red states and blue states across the country. Voters weren’t as concerned about Wall Street as they were about Main Street, and what’s happening in their communities.

Locally, Westchester County voters, fed up with their status as the highest-taxed county in the country, ousted Democrat Andy Spano, their county executive for the past 12 years. During the campaign, Republican businessman Rob Astorino, who will replace Spano, pointed out that Westchester’s tax burden impacts everyone — from seniors on fixed incomes, to young couples trying to buy their first home, to parents trying to support their children. Taxes have gone up 60 percent in seven years, all while Spano spent $1,100 a day on a chauffeured town car. He lost touch with his supporters, who are now struggling to keep their heads above water.

No one, myself included, could have predicted that voters were that infuriated by taxes. Here in Nassau County, Republicans regained control of the Legislature after 10 years in the minority. Democratic shock waves are still being felt. Absentee and paper ballots will decide the county executive’s race between the Democratic incumbent, Tom Suozzi, and the challenger, county Legislator Ed Mangano, and the winner may well be determined by only a handful of votes.

With the colder weather now upon us, many of you probably recently refilled your oil tank. Did you notice that your home heating bill was 2.5 percent higher as a result of the home energy tax that the Legislature imposed this summer? This is exactly the type of abusive and stifling tax people grew sick and tired of.