November 22, 2024

1 thought on “New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is Busy, Real Busy

  1. WOW. I don’t know where to begin ! So much pent-up anxiety has exploded in your blog this time.
    Let me try to do a quick response to each of your points and see what you think.
    1, Banning fracking until more data on the environmental and health impacts are available. This is common sense. The natural gas is not going anywhere. We have seen many studies showing correlations with contaminated water supplies and earthquakes. It is wise not to jump ahead until we see if there are real cause-effect relationships. What’s the rush? And, in the future it is possible that new technologies will make the drilling for natural gas safer and more efficient. At any rate, the gas is still there to be exploited.
    Regarding allowing each locality to decide on its own. No. This is a state government and public health issue. I have seen what happens when localities oppose big business interests. For example, the wind turbine industry. I live in an area that opposed the building of wind turbines as not only energy inefficient but environmental hazards. The wind farm company went to court. And lost. They went to court again. And again the local government won. However, the local government is now bankrupt and can not afford to defend the lawsuits any longer. So, the deep pockets of the energy company will go to court again without opposition. That is what happens in the real world. Small communities do not have the resources to fight multinational corporations. Only state law can stop them.
    2.Minimum wage is always an issue. But the fact is that the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation or with investor profits. It is not tied to any CPI. It should be. IF the minimum wage was tied to inflation it would be $11 today. That would be the floor. So, the actual value of wages has decreased significantly over time. That is why a “living wage” is a more sensible wage. To ask citizens to work 40 hours a week and then still have to depend on welfare in the form of food stamps, etc. is just wrong.
    I tend to agree with Cuomo, although he did not go far enough, that the minimum wage for NYC should be higher. It costs a lot more to live in NYC than anywhere else in the state. A full time worker would make $23,400 per year (no vacations) under the NEW minimum wage. Before SS tax, medicare tax, state tax and NYC tax. That is not realistic for NYC.

    3.College loan debt is a real problem. But a college education today is what a grade school education was in the 1940s in terms of being able to earn a decent living. So, the state certainly has an interest in helping citizens obtain a good education at a reasonable cost. I was lucky enough to go to college when the state and federal governments were willing to help poor kids attend. With a combination of scholarships, state aid, federal aid and guaranteed work programs i was able to earn a degree and leave with (this is really going to hurt you!) only $350 in loan debt. (Probably equivalent to $2,000 today). Since then the feds and states have severely reduced aid to poor families.
    I don’t know the answer. Maybe public service in payment. Reduced payments based on ability to pay. But the idea that kids who cannot pay for college should be denied college on that basis alone I find disturbing and counterproductive.
    4. Opening trade with Cuba is long overdue. Since NYC is the financial capital of the world it is smart for Cuomo to open trade. This will allow the US investors to get a foothold as the Cuban economy seeks outside capital to grow. not sure why you would oppose that idea. It is a win for Cuba and a win for NY.
    And, any time we can open relations with dictatorial regimes it is good for the people of those regimes.An exchange of ideas is always a ;positive thing, in my mind.
    5. I agree with you that Cuomo has his eyes on the presidency, but I doubt he will challenge Hilary Clinton. And they cannot run on the same ticket. But I have to say, unlike many GOP governors, he is not spending his time campaigning for POTUS on the taxpayers dollars. I will give him that. He will finish his term and see what the outlook is at that time.
    I find the Warren case especially amusing. If you recall, the GOP blocked her appointment to the new Consumer Protection Agency. A job in which she would have excelled but had no legislative power. As a result she ran for the Senate and is now a political force to be dealt with by the friends of Wall Street. She sits as an equal with the folks who refused to confirm her. The law of unintended consequences.
    I am not quite sure how you can say that Hilary Clinton has no accomplishments. As first lady she was involved in policy matters informally. She tried to pass meaningful health care reform and was stopped by the GOP in the 1990s . She was a senator who made it her business to pay special attention to the needs of upstate NY. As Secretary of Defense she revitalized the image of the US around the world, the image shattered by the Iraq adventure. She has plenty of experience not only in the legislative branch but in the executive branch as well. You may not LIKE her, but she is hardly without accomplishments.
    http://www.josephurban.wordpress.com

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