NYC Officials & Congestion Pricing: We're Going to Tax the Hell Out of You
New Details on the Congestion Pricing Scam Released
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There are so many things wrong with the congestion pricing scheme that it’s hard to narrow it down. First, some facts.
After speculation and initially floated proposals, we have a better picture of what congestion pricing — slated to begin in May 2024 — might actually look like. As of details released yesterday:
Drivers would be charged $15 (max of once per day) to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during “peak hours,” which is defined as 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends
It includes drivers of passenger cars, pickups, and SUVs. Based on their size, trucks would get charged between $24 and $36. Motorcyclists would be charged $7.50.
After 9 p.m., rates drop 75 percent.
Drivers traveling from the Hudson and East River tunnels get a $5 discount.
Residents who live in the congestion zone in Manhattan making less than $60,000 would be able to rebate their bill against their income tax.
“Low-income” vehicle owners would get a 50 percent discount on the peak-hour toll after 10 trips made in one month.
We can call it a toll, but of course, it’s really a tax on the working and middle class. Our Founding Fathers went to war over less.
As the New York Post notes:
MTA and other mass transit officials have argued the additional tolling to travel on some of the city’s most backed-up streets would reduce traffic and infuse billions of dollars into the cash-strapped agency. But some have complained it’s another fee drivers will need to pay and could divert traffic and pollution into outer boroughs.
As anyone with common sense knows, the MTA is a blackhole. The more money you throw at it, the more money is wasted. The MTA should not get a single addition cent beyond fares until it undertakes a full independent audit. That you can imagine they would fight this tooth and nail should be telling.
Make no mistake: city officials don’t care about minimizing traffic, making commutes better, or even tackling pollution. This is first and foremost a money grab. Many of New York’s office buildings are still floundering amid loss of leases with the rise in remote work. Fewer people ride subways and buses, and fare evasion is rampant. And, devastating inflation means people spend less overall.
What do officials, the Mayor, the City Council do with the results of their fiscal mismanagement? They put the burden on you. And we reward them with our votes. With the working and middle class are suffering so much financially, to impose this now (at all, but especially now) is nothing short of a crime.
When will New Yorkers wake up? Will they wake up after being stabbed on the subway for trying to avoid the congestion tax by taking public transit? Will they wake up after “only” making nine trips in a month, paying full congestion pricing, and missing a few meals that week?
What about city living makes any of this worth it anymore?
I know many reformers who think the city can be fixed with incremental change. There are a lot of moderate Democrats with good hearts. The thing is, the people in charge are running a racket, and they benefit enormously. Why should they want to change when they suffer no electoral consequences? They will vent the public’s indignation a bit with a moderate Dem like Eric Adams, meanwhile they will scheme and plot with the City Council and the nonprofit industrial complex to implement their anti-populist agenda because they know best.
New York needs a sea change. Total political revolution. I’m sorry, but I only see that coming from NY Republicans, as goofy as some of them may be. There is absolutely zero incentive for Democrats to change, aside from temporary reprieves to keep themselves in power.
If not, we will continue to die by a thousand cuts. This isn’t meant to be a black pill, but a rallying call. We cannot rest until they suffer the full consequences by being stripped of their power.
Adams sets $500K December goal for legal defense fund in FBI campaign probe (New York Post)
Mayor Eric Adams is racing to raise half a million dollars for his defense fund over the next two weeks — as he gears up for legal action in connection to the FBI probe into his 2021 campaign fundraising, The Post has learned.
Sources say the mayor is set on having a $500,000 reserve in place by mid-December.
“The Trust has been established and it will begin formally accepting donations soon,” Adams’ campaign attorney Vito Pitta said.
“We expect strong support.”
Hizzoner created the fund on Nov. 17 to allow him to raise money to cover attorney fees incurred in connection to the federal probe of his first mayoral run.
I heard Brianna Suggs is a good fundraiser, maybe Adams should get her to help him… Oh, wait. Maybe he should set up a GoFundMe or a Kickstarter. I’m glad he doesn’t have anything important to do like run a declining city, so he can focus on fighting his legal battles.
House votes to expel indicted Rep. George Santos from Congress (NBC News)
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The House voted overwhelmingly to expel indicted Rep. George Santos on Friday, pulling the curtain down on a tempestuous term in office that was marred by revelations that he’d fabricated parts of his resume, a scathing House ethics investigation and a 23-count federal indictment charging him with crimes such as wire fraud and money laundering.
The vote was 311-114, with two voting present. Santos had already put his winter jacket on, left the chamber and sped through the speaker's lobby before the vote total was announced.
"It's over," Santos said before heading to his vehicle outside the Capitol.
"They just set a new, dangerous precedent for themselves," he added, noting that he's the first House member in modern history to be expelled before a federal conviction.
It’s hard to speak on the charges leveled against the Long Island congressman. He seems like a clown, but I also know the political apparatus is highly weaponized. In vein with Santos’ “precedent” statement, who wouldn’t love to see the same standard applied to the entire chamber. Would there be anyone left in the room? I could probably count the number on one hand, maybe two.
Pro-Palestinian march heads towards NYC's Rockefeller Center during famous Christmas tree lighting - including one protester displaying a swastika (Daily Mail)
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A pro-Palestinian march converged near New York City's Rockefeller Plaza on Wednesday night, during the nationally televised Christmas tree lighting held there each year.
WCBS-TV reporter Ali Bauman posted images of the demonstration on X, showing one protester holding a placard with a large swastika. […]
The Rockefeller protest comes just weeks after pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where some individuals glued themselves to the ground and at least 34 were arrested for disorderly conduct.
Again, we don’t take sides in the Palestine-Israeli conflict, we focus instead on how it affects New York. That said, I support their right to protest, even the deplorable use of the swastika. It’s free speech, plain and simple. But, it’s in horrible taste, and I can’t imagine this kind of activism is doing them any favors. Almost more importantly, leave wholesome things alone. The tree lighting and the Thanksgiving Day parade are among the few local cultural institutions that should remain as pure and apolitical as possible. Protest somewhere else and leave kids and families out of it; they have zero connection to the conflict.
Spotted in the Wild
I had an enjoyable keyboard spar on with some loonies on Substack yesterday. I’ll have a full write-up in Monday’s op/ed.
I hate Nazis (and Marxists, too). But, they’re still entitled to free speech. As we’ve seen, both progressives and war-hawks have used the cudgel of false antisemitism accusations to label anyone who disagrees with them as a bigot. There are some on Substack who think that there is an explicitly “Nazi problem” on the platform. Meanwhile, Marxists are free to post (including one Substack called “Militant Marxist”), and no one complains. I believe there is a some old document and some court that says direct incitement to violence is the only thing that free speech cannot protect. Someone fact check me on that.
Anyway, this debate with a certain popular angry Salad Lady (not Mao Zhou) brought out some pro-censorship dorks. The above gem was one example. There you have it, certain kinds of totalitarianism are good!
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Interesting, hadn't heard of this, congestion tax sounds like a 'free market' euphamism for 15 minute cities.