In a surprise to no one except Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his compatriots, government can't operate without actual revenue. For all the power politicians wield, they rely completely on the wealth generated by others. The State, unlike a business, does not produce. It does not create. It simply consumes.
It turns out, when you shut down the economy, not only does that revenue stream dwindle to a trickle, but all the people with money panic and leave for greener pastures. New York City, America's largest urban center, is currently experiencing this reality check. Under the thumb of Mayor De Blasio, who loves wielding power like his idols Stalin and Mao, NYC has turning into a nightmare of a place to live. De Blasio defunded his police department to gain woke points, leading to a massive increase in shootings and overall crime.
In wealthy neighborhoods, such as the Upper East Side (known for its billionaires), the numbers are staggering. The NYPD's 19th precinct recently reported a 286% increase in neighborhood robberies over 2019.
De Blasio has also threatened churches with permanent closure during lockdown while allowing mass protests (but not protests against abortion – those will still get you arrested).
This week, taking a break from shutting down more restaurants and other struggling businesses, he doubled down on his vision of a socialistic utopia by installing checkpoints to enforce quarantine for visitors, definitely ensuring the tourism industry stays strong. Oh, and just for fun, he quoted Marx's Communist Manifesto a few weeks back.
His superior, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has done his part to slow COVID by sending infected patients into nursing homes en masse and celebrating the destruction of historical monuments as a "healthy expression."
Now, with NYC still on indefinite lockdown, Gov. Cuomo is begging wealthy residents to return home. Why, you ask?
Well, it turns out the top 1% of earners in NYC pay 50% of the taxes. It seems those wealthy residents also decided to get the heck outta Dodge when they saw the threat of the 'Rona combined with the bungled mismanagement and totalitarian edicts of those like Cuomo and De Blasio. Now that the city (and the state) are facing a serious revenue shortfall, the governor is pleading with them to come back, no matter what it takes.
"I literally talk to people all day long who are now in their Hamptons house who also lived here, or in their Hudson Valley house, or in their Connecticut weekend house," said Cuomo. "And I say, ‘You got to come back! We'll go to dinner! I'll buy you a drink! Come over, I'll cook!'"
How nice of the governor. I personally wouldn't take him up on his offer of a candlelight dinner for two, but at least he's going the extra mile.
He went on to reveal that he does know a thing or two about why a rich New Yorker might want to stay away:
"They're not coming back right now," he said. "And you know what else they're thinking? ‘If I stay there, I pay a lower income tax' because they don't pay the New York City surcharge."
Gasp! Ladies and gentlemen (and to quote Adam Ford, I do mean ladies and gentlemen), Andrew Cuomo understands the basic concept that higher taxes drive business, and therefore wealth production, away.
Plenty of people in the Twittersphere noted the irony and hubris of the situation.
Residents of other utopias like Washington also took note of the situation, with a prophetic eye toward their own cities.
The governor also made reference to NYC's growing crime problem, reassuring wealthy citizens that they'll get it under control.
"We're going to make progress helping the homeless. We're going to clean up the graffiti. We're going to fix crime."
How exactly, Cuomo and De Blasio will fix crime remains an open question. One thing's for sure: stoking racial tensions, defunding and demoralizing law enforcement, encouraging violent riots and the destruction of property, allowing neighborhoods to be plundered, and locking everyone in their homes is probably the exact opposite of how I'd do it. If I were a wealthy socialite or businessman, I'd be selling my NY real estate yesterday.
Keep on begging, Gov. Cuomo. I'm sure those rich residents will come flocking back to the Leftist utopia of New York really soon!
(NYC in 2021, probably)
