New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is running for re-election this year. Though his politics are usually to the liberal side, Mr. Cuomo is a proponent of charter schools, and is committed to not raising taxes.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has just won a four year term and fully intends to make good on his far left agenda: fair enough since he made no bones about that agenda during the campaign. One of his key agenda points is raising taxes on “the rich” to fund a universal pre-K school program…which will, of course, warm the hearts of the teachers\’ union. He also is intent on diminishing the number of charter schools in New York City, by denying them free space in public schools.
Today Governor Cuomo and Mayor di Blasio both held rallies for their causes.
-Governor Cuomo, while expressing his support of charter schools, reminded people of Einstein\’s definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results). He then pointed out that, for decades the schools have demanded more and more money, to the point that New York spends more per child than any other state in the country….and that the result is that New York is #32 in education.
-Mayor de Blasio and his supporters, by contrast, demanded the higher-taxation-supported Pre-K program by telling us it was all for the children and for their future – exactly the kind fo strategy used during the decades Cuomo was talking about. Regarding higher taxes, one woman expressed what apparently was the prevailing view: “I don\’t have no problem with them taxin\’ the rich” (I wonder if this woman has a problem with the possibility that over-taxation might cause enough of “the rich” to change their primary residence so that it will result in a net loss of revenue).
This, folks, is a war. A war between two darlings of the liberal establishment – though I would have to say that, at least as of now, Bill de Blasio has a far more exalted status in that regard than Andrew Cuomo.
Personally, though Mr. Cuomo can be arrogant and grating, I admire him for having the courage – not just in this one instance either – to depart from the “party line” for the good of the state.
And while I think Mr. de Blasio\’s politics, though well meaning, are often looney-tunes, I admire anyone on either side of the political spectrum who stands up for what he/she truly believes.
Who am I more in sympathy with? As you probably have already guessed, I stand, strongly, with Andrew Cuomo.
Charter schools are a desperately needed way for parents with motivated minority children to escape inner city schools where the chances for them to excel range from minimal to zero. Why would anyone want to squash these children\’s futures…unless their agenda is somewhere else, that is…like in making nice to a strong, influential union.
And rich people are not the enemy. Taxing high income people appropriately is one thing…but taxing them up the wazoo, to the point where it is punitive versus other states, is both ridiculous and counterproductive. It is also exactly what Governor Cuomo is trying to avoid (New York State is currently running ads offering major tax breaks to attract businesses – and their presumably well to do ownership – to relocate there).
This is going to be quite a year in New York politics.
Me? I\’ll be happy to sit over on the Jersey side and watch the fireworks…while I check to see how traffic is moving on the George Washington Bridge.
