In April 1985, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo famously said, “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.”
The race is for the flowery terms to help galvanize a movement behind a person. But once in office, said person undoubtedly quickly realizes that their decisions affect all—those who voted for them and those who did not.
And so many of those decisions can be quite difficult. Because programs, plans, initiatives, all those great things you promised on the campaign trail, cost money. In New York City, it’s usually a boatload of bucks—regardless of destination. Here everything just costs more.
This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed two wildly ambitious goals. On Tuesday, he announced that his administration will launch the largest, most comprehensive plan in the nation to guarantee health care for every New Yorker.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it,” Hizzoner said. “While the federal government works to gut health care for millions of Americans, New York City is leading the way by guaranteeing that every New Yorker has access to quality, comprehensive access to care, regardless of immigration status or their ability to pay.”
The bill: at least $100 million annually at full scale (BdB’s words, not ours). How will our City cover that cost?
On Wednesday, de Blasio was back at it. This time he proposed that New York City become the first city in the nation to mandate Paid Personal Time for workers.
The mayor pledged to pursue local legislation that would require private employers with five or more employees to offer 10 annual days of Paid Personal Time, allowing employees to take paid time off for any purpose, including vacation, religious observances, bereavement and time with family. The legislation would guarantee this time for approximately 3.4 million New Yorkers.
“To be the fairest big city in America, New Yorkers can’t be forced to choose between bringing home a paycheck and taking time off to just disconnect or spend time with loved ones – that choice ends with Paid Personal Time,” de Blasio added.
Again, that SOUNDS great—but who’s gonna pay for it? John and Jane Small Biz Owner? They’re already inundated with bills, regulations, and fines that make being an entrepreneur in NYC an incredibly uninviting, unattractive, and impossible venture.
“Mayor de Blasio simply doesn’t get it! Small businesses in our city are already being crushed by burdensome regulations and unfunded government mandates. Now the Mayor wants to force them to provide two weeks of paid vacation at their own expense,” said GOP public advocate candidate Eric Ulrich. “It’s no wonder New York has become one of the least business friendly cities in America.”
We’ve got to be smarter about our ideas. In theory, everything is awesome. However, reality is cold and indifferent.
Poetry and prose.
