Misguided City Hall

The real crises facing The Bronx, and New York City as a whole, remain unaddressed as Mayor Bloomberg obsesses over his pet peeves.

   Over the past several years, it has become apparent that City Hall has lost its way. The chief problem is the Mayor’s odd interpretation of his duties.  In a recent radio interview, he stated that if “helping people stay healthy isn’t the duty of government, I don’t know what government is for.”  Memo to the Mayor:  helping people stay healthy is the duty of physicians, not politicians. 

   Budgetary concerns may cause the closing of firehouses (Once again, the Mayor is attacking the City Island station.). Crime and taxes are both rising. Our Bronx has the highest unemployment rate in the state, at 14.1%, while the U.S. endures an 8.2%.  Half of our 8^th graders fail statewide science tests.  The Cross Bronx, The Bruckner, and many of our subways stations are in disrepair.  Our bus system is woefully inadequate. The once excellent express bus system is decaying.  

   Bloomberg’s recent attempt to regulate the size of soft drinks has turned his administration into a national laughingstock, criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike.  The Mayor seeks to impose his soda regulations without even seeking the input of the City Council.

   His clear lack of understanding of what makes NYC tick has led to horrible results.  During the 2010 snowstorm, his administration’s transportation chief ordered the plowing of a Manhattan bike lane before many key roadways were cleared; at least one death was attributed to the inability of an ambulance to make a timely arrival.

   The Mayor’s attempt to impose his personal preferences on the public is clearly contemptuous of your intelligence.  In essence, he believes that you are just too ignorant to function as an adult and make your own decisions.  It also reeks of elitism.  Put down that Coca-Cola and spend your money on a decent bottle of expensive wine, the way any decent billionaire does!

   PJ Media recently asked, “If government bureaucrats can ban the types of fast food outlets available, manipulate the size and types of drinks we consume, and regulate every aspect of food preparation, what couldn’t they attempt to ban?...Will Bloomberg next propose a measure limiting red meat intake…Will the nanny state do-gooders ban hot dogs, or force Americans to take part in government exercise programs…?”

   Education joins nutrition as a forum for the imposition of this Administration’s bizarre attitude.  Despite parental outrage over the attempt by a Coney Island principal to ban the signing of “I’m Proud to be an American” at a public school event, neither the Mayor nor his Education Chancellor have seen fit to act.

   Perhaps, to a globe-trotting billionaire who is sure he is so much better than you, patriotism, like soft drinks, is just too old fashioned, and too American, to be tolerated.