New York City - In The Throes Of A Disaster

The following information may not seem important to some who read it. The fact is it discusses one city in America, so why should anyone living in other cities or towns be concerned? The city, however, is New York, the financial capital of the world, Broadway, Times Square, the crossroads of the world, Freedom Tower, Wall Street, museums, tourist magnet, and so on.

This is all being threatened. The city that never sleeps is possibly on the verge of imploding, and could lose its spirit and soul. The residents of the city are fearful, having gone through several months of uncertainty and controversy, many considering seeking greener pastures. Businesses and major corporations are anxious and have expressed similar sentiments. Wall Street is wary.

What is it that has caused such trepidation and ill feelings? On November 4, New York will hold an election for mayor, the outcome of which will determine its future and fate as a thriving metropolis. The candidates for this important, prestigious, and high-visibility office are ill-suited, controversial, and of questionable character.

The candidates for mayor are ideologically and professionally as widely different as one can imagine. There’s a former governor, a street peacemaker/guardian, and a onetime Rap artist turned councilman. Andrew Cuomo is a former HUD Secretary in the Obama administration, former New York State Attorney General, and former New York State governor. 

Cuomo is running as an Independent, having lost the Democratic primary. He resigned from the office of governor over allegations of sexual abuse by multiple women. As governor, he signed into law extreme, without any restrictions, abortion policy, and no-cash bail that has contributed to an increase in criminal activity and recidivism. During the pandemic, he ordered senior citizens who contracted the virus to be placed in nursing homes where over 14,000 would perish.

Curtis Sliwa is the founder and leader of the Guardian Angels (GA), and is the Republican candidate; he has also been a radio talk show host for over thirty years. The GA, like the New York Police, patrol the streets and subways, but without any weapons. They have performed this service for 50 years, and have had an effect on crime. However, Sliwa and the GA have also been involved in controversy. They were found to have staged crime scenes for publicity.

Save the best for last, so they say, but not this time. Zohran Mamdani is Muslim and was born in Uganda. He is 34 years old, and is the Democratic Socialist/Marxist candidate, but with no experience. If allowed to assume the office of New York City mayor, he will spell disaster. Mamdani has promised New Yorkers everything, including the kitchen sink. He is anti-capitalism, believes the government is overseer in the lives of the people, and has expressed very radical political views.

Mamdani has run on a platform of affordability, promising New Yorkers free public transportation, child care, and a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. And for all the bluster, his remedy for where the money will come from to pay for all of this is to raise taxes on the rich and corporations. Mamdani and his supporters know this is a canard; the rich will pick up stakes and move out. The burden will fall on the middle class, specifically the "white" middle class, the homeowners. There is also the fact that each of these free policies is not within his purview - they must be approved by the state assembly and the governor.

Mamdani has referred to the NYPD as racist, and seeks to establish a department that will deal with domestic situations with social interventionists. He also supports legalizing prostitution. He has voiced his support to “Globalize the Intifada,’’ and is considered to harbor anti-Semitic, anti-Israel views.

The New York Post, in one of its many editorials that have spoken out against Mamdani, recently wrote, “calling Zohran Mamdani an anti-American supporter of terrorism has nothing to do with faith, and everything with his words, actions, and associations.”

There is more I could mention that speaks ill of Mr. Mamdani, but perhaps it would be more propitious to have other New Yorkers voice their sentiments. The Post interviewed several on the street; I’ve taken only the most hard-hitting statements they made. 

• Sarah, Brooklyn: “I’m worried for my children’s safety.”
• Richie, Manhattan: “It’s going to be a lot worse to run a business.”
• Andrew, Manhattan: “I’m moving out if he wins.”
• Pastor Tillard, Queens: “He wants to turn the city into a college town.”
• Jason, Manhattan: “His views would be comical if they weren’t so scary.”
• Alicia, Harlem: “Where is the money going to come from if it’s free?” 
• Phil, Queens: “I know socialism fails because my family fled it.” 

Enough said.