I hadn't realized our state's economy has been destroyed but then coming from your friends I can't put to much faith in that.
Of course most of what you say can easily be disproved as it is not reality or fact based. Since 2000 MA has been averaging in the 20's in rank of individual taxes both state and local on residents. Thankfully we are not bringing up the bottom like Texas is as we do need a much smarter population to compete and survive. We can't rely on natural resources but actually need brains to create value.