Many were dismayed by the wish list House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues submitted in last month’s fight over what would be included in the emergency stimulus package.
While Republicans proposed ways to jumpstart the economy and help Americans get through some very rough times, Pelosi and her Democratic cohort instead seemed bent on taking advantage of the crisis to push for traditional far-left policies, even though most had little or nothing to do with rescuing the economy.
So, for example, the Democrats insisted, as a condition for supporting the stimulus bill, the inclusion of such items as funding for sanctuary cities, same-day voter registration, and climate change studies. They pressed for a commitment to establish standards for fuel efficiency, carbon emission standards, and diversity in management. And on and on it went for dozens of pages.
It seems, though, that the Progressives in charge in New York City are determined to go their congressional colleagues one better. Thus, while the frolic of the congressional Democrats would “just” involve spending more money for initiatives unrelated to economic recovery effort, the New York City Council is now considering measures that would actually work against a recovery.
One proposal would force businesses to retain every employee unless they have “just cause” to fire one of them. Another would require businesses with 100 or more employees to pay low-wage shift workers a premium of $40 to $75 per shift. But how can additional, arbitrarily-imposed burdens on the business community possibly contribute to rebuilding the economy?
There are also various proposals to arbitrarily cancel or defer rent obligations. But what about the expenses building owners have related to maintaining their properties? How does denying them rental income contribute to rebuilding the economy?
It’s not that the proposals are unrelated to the economic emergency. They are. But why have there not been serious discussions about the (positive) impact increased unemployment benefits will have on the ability to pay rent or how the small business loan program will help employers and landlords during the emergency? Why do we only have ideologically-driven mandates?
Perhaps the piece de resistance is the announcement by NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio that, as a central part of the city’s recovery efforts, he is setting up a task force to ensure that the New York that emerges from the current crisis is more racially just than it was heretofore. He claims that we now have an opportunity to fundamentally remake New York City economically and socially.
He is not talking about spending of money like congressional Democrats were. He is talking about social and economic engineering, which will only add deadweight to the economy. And that is not a good thing. Certainly not at this critical point in our history.
We should be concerned about getting our economy back as quickly and strongly as possible. The rest can follow later when we can breathe a little easier.