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I think Bill De Blasio's strongest asset is his ability to connect with people and let them understand where he is coming from. Negotiation skills are very important, especially for a big city mayor. When you listen to him, you do not get the feeling that he's reading from a teleprompter like Obama or other politicians. He may be full of lies, I really can't tell you, but he has mastered the ability to appear genuine.
Also, some say that he is an empty suit but he appears to understand that the trickle down reagonomic theory does not work. Like he points out in the video, over 46% of New York City residents are in poverty. How are the rich and wall street helping this group? Instead of focusing solely on wall street, a better strategy seems to be, to provide tax breaks to small businesses. We know that small businesses, not corporations are the primary engine that provides jobs.
Thank you. Trickle down effect is a huge failure in NYC, it simply does not work here even if someone is making 20 dollars an hour. Yes you have plenty of wealthy people shopping, going to hotels, going to broadway shows, lounges, retail, restaurants, but still people who work in these industries are only getting extra crumbs. When you get your check, taxes cuts 1/3 plus medical. If you have to pay rent, sizeable part of your income is gone and their only a little left for you to spend, and none save or even invest.
I think Bill De Blasio's strongest asset is his ability to connect with people and let them understand where he is coming from. Negotiation skills are very important, especially for a big city mayor. When you listen to him, you do not get the feeling that he's reading from a teleprompter like Obama or other politicians. He may be full of lies, I really can't tell you, but he has mastered the ability to appear genuine.
I think this will allow him to win against Lhota.
Lhota is the NYC version of Dick Cheney. He always looks mean and angry about something.
I saw an ad of him smiling and my mouth dropped open! I said somebody must have given him some "happy" pills or made him smoke several blunts, because he has NEVER looked this engaging before.
Last edited by marilyn220; 09-11-2013 at 04:46 PM..
I've never understood why the working class care so much about the well being of the rich.
.
Put it this way. These days corporations can source talent and labor any where in the world, and they will do so where it suits them the best. So the folks who assume that the jobs will always be there really are fooling themselves. They also have short memories as they forgot what happened in the 70s when many Fortune 500 companies either fled the city, or relocated many jobs to other states which they found cheaper and/or less aggravating.
This in addition to the fact that any environment which raises the cost for doing business is likely to hurt the smaller businesses most. I have clients who are seriously worried about the ObamaCare mandates as they are struggling as is, and will clearly not be able to afford the additional burden of mandatory health insurance. They have told me that they will have to lay off workers, and convert others to part timers. These are not right wing nuts by the way and sympathize with the need for health insurance. Its just that they cannot afford to provide it. Think about low margin businesses like janotorial services, healthcare agencies, etc. Very labor intensive, but hardly hugely profitable.
In addition many think that McDonalds hires fast food workers, so think that McDonalds should pay higher wages. Its franchisees include many struggling to survive (as the most affluent switch away from fast food as it is not considered healthy), paying escalating rents, conforming to increased govt mandates, yet having to pay McDonald's its franchise fee. Make life hard for them and expect to see some stores closed. Indeed its clear that there have been many closures of fast food stores in Mid town Manhattan. I dont know how profitable the outer boroughs are where many are likely to buy the dollar menu items.
So yes sometimes the working class have to be aware of what happens to the "rich", because its the "rich" who employ them.
The "rich" are households earning $250k or more. Yes its true. That can be a trust fund kids allowance. It can be what a widow lives on.......or it can be the after tax earnings of an "S" corporation, which are taxed at the personal rate. So yes that S corp can make decisions which can result in more unemployment if an excessively bureaucratic high tax jurisdiction makes life difficult for them. When people put the nonproductive wealthy in the same grab bag as the business owner and then enact policy on that basis, expect to see the working class suffer.
When people invest capital they expect a decent return to offset the risk. I do not think that the working class too often invest risk capital.
And please do not bore me about the small retail stores. Their wages are abysmal. Enployee benefits are atrocious, and their ability to provide upward mobility, except MAYBE for the owners, is limited.
So we do not need another Bloomberg, who cared only for his developer friends. But we do not need a de Blasio to adopt an oppositional attitude to those who will invest and create decent paying jobs.
I also like his idea of re emphasizing/rebuilding technical and vocational schools.At least he is thinking outside the box.He probably would be a better,more interesting general election candidate than Lhota,who I could never vote for under any circumstances
Saw Cats. Well w eknow he didnt win, but what I liked about him, despite his warts, is my suspicion that he knows that he knows not, and so will listen to learn something.
Lhota brings all of Giuliani's arrogance and so will not win. Indeed Lhota got FEWER votes than Weiner. Unless he expands beyond his little box he doesnt stand any more of a chance than your average GOP candidate running for office in The Bronx.
With a voter base which is now 55% minority it will be interesting to see what Lhota says and screaming that the cops are Gods who ought to be worshipped clearly will not work. Even some white kids (artsie types) are now getting stopped and frisked.
So yes sometimes the working class have to be aware of what happens to the "rich", because its the "rich" who employ them.
The "rich" are households earning $250k or more. Yes its true. That can be a trust fund kids allowance. It can be what a widow lives on.......or it can be the after tax earnings of an "S" corporation, which are taxed at the personal rate. So yes that S corp can make decisions which can result in more unemployment if an excessively bureaucratic high tax jurisdiction makes life difficult for them. When people put the nonproductive wealthy in the same grab bag as the business owner and then enact policy on that basis, expect to see the working class suffer.
What good does caring about the rich do workers? Do the rich care that with the high cost of living in NYC, either you need to be wealthy yourself, live with 10 roommates or with family, or be on welfare? I think not!
As a worker, you care about YOURSELF, getting the highest pay job you can get and the best benefits.
Your employer, on the other hand, by nature will try to cut costs as much as possible, to keep as much money as they can to increase their profits.
So the "rich" and the working class do not have the same interests, PERIOD. And won't.
Rich white developers love to have the police everywhere, so white people feel "safe". That way they can displace working class people and jack up their rents. I have no interest in that kind of "safety".
I don't think your fears about de Blasio are true, but if they are, its going to take an economic collapse anyway in order to bring real estate costs in the city under control.
So if some fast food franchises close, GREAT. If some companies leave NYC, WONDERFUL. What would ultimately happen is some people would leave as well, and with less money available in the NYC economy, you'd see collapsing real estate prices for those who remain.
There are reasons why real estate prices in NYC weren't this high in the 80s and 90s.
I think Bill De Blasio's strongest asset is his ability to connect with people and let them understand where he is coming from. Negotiation skills are very important, especially for a big city mayor. When you listen to him, you do not get the feeling that he's reading from a teleprompter like Obama or other politicians. He may be full of lies, I really can't tell you, but he has mastered the ability to appear genuine.
Also, some say that he is an empty suit but he appears to understand that the trickle down reagonomic theory does not work. Like he points out in the video, over 46% of New York City residents are in poverty. How are the rich and wall street helping this group? Instead of focusing solely on wall street, a better strategy seems to be, to provide tax breaks to small businesses. We know that small businesses, not corporations are the primary engine that provides jobs.
The top 10 percent of earners in NYC, who had incomes of at least $105,400, pay 71.2 percent of the city income-tax. The income tax pays for programs that benefit all groups. Some of those programs help those in poverty. Some don't. In a nutshell - that's how they help, by their tax revenue to help pay for those who can't pay for themselves. If you mean the much-maligned and envied top 1% , well they pay 41% of the income tax, so...
I shouldn't imagine Ray Kelly will stay on. He's too valuable and effective to be squandered.
Ray Kelly is not too valuable or effective to be "squandered" anymore than Bloomberg is. I have had enough of both, and I suspect that the election of Bill DeBlasio who wants to end S&F outright means that Ray Kelly, like Bloomberg, is going bye bye. And to that I say FINALLY.
We need change in this city, and keeping Ray Kelly, which the voters have already expressed dissatisfaction with by voting for DeBlasio, means new blood, new ideas, new (legal) strategies, new mentality is sorely needed and on the way.
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