The most wonderful time of year is upon us as the “Holiday Season” has arrived. Why do I put this in quotes? Because there is no such thing on the calendar as “holiday.” It is Christmas. It is Hannukah. It is Kwanza. It is Festivus. It is also whatever ridiculous, politically correct “holiday” the so-called progressive folk can come up with.
When someone says Happy Hannukah to me (a Roman Catholic), I say thank you and “Merry Christmas.” That person is greeting me in their respective holiday season parlance. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Hence my reply in my own religion’s parlance as I try to be respectful and inclusive. Isn’t that what the Melting Pot is supposed to be? Yet, there are a lot of people, every year, who get “offended” when you wish them a “Merry Christmas.” Here’s a thought for those folks—find somewhere else to live, like back under the rock you crawled out from. We need to get back to basics and remind folks that the reason why it is called Christmas is because of the birth of Jesus Christ, as celebrated across every Christian religion. Now, if you believe in Kwanza, or even Festivus, then obviously Christ has nothing to do with that. To those celebrants, I still say, “Merry Christmas” and I hope they say to me “Happy Kwanza” or “Festivus for the rest of us” (shameless Seinfeld inclusion here). Isn’t it time for peace amongst all men and women…or at the very least, reserve outrage or being offended for something that actually matters?
CONGESTION PRICING IS GOING TO DESTROY
US Remember when then Governor David Patterson instituted a new payroll tax as well as a taxi surcharge in NYC to bail the MTA out back in 2009? Well, what was supposed to only last a few years has been in effect for 14 years. And in 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul will launch a state killer for the very same purpose.
Yes, I am referring to congestion pricing. What started as a proposed way to mitigate congestion in Manhattan has very quickly turned into a political hot potato; and it’s a stinky, rotted and corrupt potato at that. Let’s look back at when Mike Bloomberg, our worst election mistake next to Bill DeBlasio, was in office. He created a “pilot program” for bike lanes and swore if it created more traffic, he would not move forward with rolling them out. Rather than be honest, the Napoleon wannabe took the GPS data from the cabs (knowing they avoided the test area during the assessment period) and claimed victory for bicycle riders. At the same time, he granted Uber and Lyft access to our streets (which he wouldn’t do before this “pilot”). Then 80,000 new vehicles ended up on the roads, clogging the streets as they roam around looking for a fare. Fast forward to Mayor deLousyo’s tenure when he lowered the speed limit for his failed “Vision Zero” initiative (which literally has zero vision). Now add in restaurant sheds, trash containers and more onto the streets. It is the perfect recipe for disaster.
Bear in mind, the state lost over 500,000 residents fleeing the Empire State for other jurisdictions, resulting in a 39.6 percent drop in tax revenue from 2022 – 2023. Throw in inflation and endless “fees” to everything from taxis to restaurants to grocery stores and you have the most expensive city in the country. Once congestion pricing hits (at between $9 - $25 per trip into the zone), it has already been speculated that the state will lose roughly 200,000 more taxpayers. Why? Because New York, formerly referred to as the Empire State, has now become known as the Tax and Spend state. With every jurisdiction around the tri-state (New Jersey, Suffolk, Nassau, Fairfield, and Staten Island) mounting lawsuits to stop the congestion pricing from happening, one has to ask…does Governor Hochul think the lawsuits and population shift are just going to magically disappear? I have to wonder given her policies, talking out of both sides of her mouth, and her reckless spending pattern of our hard-earned money. Is she following in former DC Mayor Marion Barry’s footsteps of smoking crack? It’s the only reasonable explanation I can come up with.
I STAND WITH ISRAEL
Speaking of the Holiday Season, you are aware that Jesus Christ was in fact born a Jew, right? Let me table that for a second.
So, as I write this, I am just horrified by the Hamas attacks in Israel. It is inhumane, disgusting, racist and a crime against humanity. As of the writing of this column, the UN has yet to denounce the attacks and President Joe Biden has barely come out against Hamas and their Iranian backers. How is this possible in 2023? What planet are these people on that they think any attack against the Jewish state of Israel is okay? Back to my opener, in one sense, if you believe that Jesus was a Jew (it is fact but there are always naysayers), then we are all Jewish, to a degree. Let’s start with that commonality.
I stand with Israel. I wish we all did. We need peace in the Middle East. Enough is enough.
And that is The Final Word for 2023