February's a Miserable Month - New York's a Miserable City

According to analysis by Forbes Magazine, New York is ranked the fourth most miserable city in America, following Detroit, Flint, and Stockton, California. The primary reasons cited for this high ranking: "But the costs can make all but the super-wealthy miserable. Housing costs are through the roof, and income tax rates are 10.5%, more than twice the U.S. average."

It goes to show how much power the wealthy truly hold in this city if this isn't more of a political issue...I rarely concerned myself with taxes until I moved here. Now I also ask myself: what exactly do these higher taxes fund? If I can't afford to live in Manhattan (and didn't even bother trying for that matter), do I really need to be funding the higher quality of life that the borough has grown accustomed to over the years, when it is also one of the wealthiest counties in the country? Are there benefits for Queens, Kings, Bronx, and Richmond Counties (Staten Island)? Are the wealthiest taxed fairly enough to cover the poorest residents of New York?

This article also vividly illustrates in the clearest manner yet to me, that New York may just be a bunch of bells and whistles.