It’s no secret that Bill de Blasio, – officially New York’s mayor for
something less than 72 hours as I write this – is of a political stripe often
labeled “progressive” and “liberal” or some combination of the two. He’s also,
deep down, a pragmatist who will not be likely to sacrifice a safe, smoothly-running city for ideology.
But you’d never know it from some of the
frothing-at-the-mouth crazies, quite a few from out-of-town, issuing enraged rants about the city’s so-far
uneventful reaction to a snow storm that hit us overnight.
I refer you to a few of the comments following an article in the New York Times that talks about the snow, discusses the mayor getting the streets
cleared, and presents a photograph of the mayor shoveling his own front walk.
From the right wing rage, you'd never know that's all there is to it. Put on your bullet-proof vest and your crash helmet, because here it comes:
…why is it snow needs to be cleared immediately? This unknown sense of urgency that we blindly follow is exactly why Mr. de Blasio and politicians get away with promise after promise and deliver NOTHING***
Fulfilling his campaign promises, the new major is getting back at the rich on the east side. All the Sanitation Trucks have been moved to the People's Republic of Park Slope to serve the "People".
***
Mayor de Blasio twittered a picture of himself in front of his "regular guy" home doing a "regular guy" thing like shoveling his own snow. If clever photo ops, twitter, and spin worked for getting elected of course those skills are all that is necessary in an actual real life administration job as well. Apparently the key to being a good mayor is to use your valuable time to appear as regular guy as possible. My suggestion is that he should take this to it's natural Borges' like conclusion in which an ultimate mayor would spend his days doing absolutely nothing "mayor like" and only use every valuable minute for "regular guy" photo ops - especially on a day when he is clearly needed in office ASAP. That starts off things with the right message.
***
Interesting times for NY. Your new mayor has zero experience managing anything except his next campaign. I'm guessing, based on his political leanings that if everything isn't done in this snow storm to everyone's [His donor's] satisfaction, that the only solution will be a massive tax increase to hire thousands of new workers and float a bond issue or get a federal [temporary] grant to pay for it all. We'll see.
The comment above came from somebody in Tennessee who telling signed his letter "Gun Owner...?" Uh, Mr. Gun Owner? Mayor DeBlasio's "zero experience managing anything" included serving as a regional manager of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, successfully managing Hillary Clinton's Senatorial campaign in New York, and serving in the elected office of Public Advocate, one of the two highest after the mayor. Put that in your gun and suck on it.
***
Bill with a shovel, charming. This man, never having been an executive in charge of anything, has not the slightest idea of priorities. We all are in for some to tough 'sledding'.
Since the author of this comment signs himself off as a New Jersey resident, I assume that when he writes "We are all in for some tough 'sledding'" he's referring to the slippery situation in his home state under Governor Chris Christie.
***
Shovelling HIS sidewalk? He's the Mayor. Isn't he supposed to shovel everybody else's sidewalk?
This comment came from Walt in Wisconsin. Listen Walt, in New York the mayor gets the streets plowed but you're responsible for your own walk. That's why the mayor was shoveling his, while city snowplows cleared the streets. But if you'd like to come out here and help, grab the shovel you've been using for the horse manure you're shoveling at us, grab a flight to New York, and feel free to shovel my walk. Just scrape the dung off your shoes before you dirty my snow.
***
What you forget to mention is how more efficient and cost effective snow plowing would be if handled by the private sector.
That comment came from Iowa.
1 comment:
The private sector plows the roads in Iowa? Consider me skeptical.
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