In the Right

In his essay, he makes clear his belief that New York is massively overtaxed, and that its government massively overspends -- so much so that he has recently decided to leave the state.

By moving his legal domicile to Florida, he notes, he calculates he will personally save $13,800 ... per day.

Six weeks ago, according to The Buffalo News, Golisano became convinced that Democratic Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith of Queens would not follow through on promises he had made Golisano and others to push through a package of reforms.

During their meeting, reports the News, Smith kept checking his Blackberry -- an annoying distraction that apparently served as the final straw, so angering Golisano that he became determined to bring down Smith and install in his place a new leadership that would follow through on Golisano's reform agenda.

What made Smith's refusal to implement the agreed-upon reform agenda more upsetting to Golisano was the fact that Golisano had been instrumental in putting together the January 2009 deal that made Smith the Majority Leader in the first place.

By reneging on his promise to Golisano, Smith wasn't just breaking his word to Golisano, he was embarrassing Golisano politically.

And what made that worse, in Golisano's eyes, is that Golisano had formed a political action committee last year -- Responsible New York -- and had personally funded it with $5 million, all in an effort to help New York Democrats take control of the state senate -- something they hadn't done since the year Barry Goldwater was on the top of the GOP ticket.

Lesson: When you're meeting with a politically active billionaire philanthropist who funded a political action committee that put your party in power for the first time in four decades and who now wants to know why you haven't lived up to the promises you made him ... leave the Blackberry in your pocket.

Follow me on Twitter!