11 Comments
Mar 13·edited Mar 13

They send in the troops because they are doing what their real job is: preserving donor profits.

If you want to understand the sometimes mysterious actions of the Democratic Party, it all becomes quite clear when you realize what the purpose of their leadership is: to stop at all costs anything that would address income inequality.

They are perfectly happy to lose elections (the revolving door between the government and the private sector is well-oiled) because as long as they can stave off the restoration of the New Deal, they will be showered in donations.

The obvious solution to income inequality is to raise taxes. Restore competition with vigorous antitrust. Bring back our manufacturing base.

But all of these things would make the wealthy slightly less wealthy, and this will never be allowed.

Sending in the National Guard, however, means profits for everyone! Guns! Armored vehicles! All sold at obscenely high profits, where they then sit around, to be scrapped and replaced.

So the donors are doubly happy.

Expand full comment
Mar 13Liked by Ross Barkan

I saw guards at my Myrtle/Wyckoff stop

Expand full comment
author

yeah, they seem to be around there

Expand full comment

Anarcho tyranny. Bail reform means criminals are released to commit more crime. If anyone tries to stop it like Daniel Penny, they get punished harshly. Now everyone has to live with TSA style security in the subways. This is the progress New Yorkers voted for.

Expand full comment

Guessing you didn't read the article

Expand full comment

He doesn't read any article. He's a bizarre psychotic rodent who spams brainless spiel on any free article that he thinks needs a good dose of his pollution, then likes his own comments with alternate accounts to put them at the top. This is how "conservative influencers" build themselves up these days.

Expand full comment

>one imagines Hochul forming her views on urban crime by watching a lot of Fox 5 and Marcia Kramer and reading the New York Post

One can certainly assert random made-up crap if one likes.

>What’s probably been disorienting for Hochul is that various power elites and the NYPD dislike what she’s done

What's evidently disorienting to you is that she doesn't care what you dislike.

>But if you are a family in Ohio or Missouri or Nebraska and you’re contemplating taking a vacation to New York City, why would you bother after hearing National Guard troops are swarming public transit?

1) don't think they know , 2) don't think they'd care, 3) if anything most out-of-towners like the troops more than NYCers

>If Hochul were better at politics, she would lay this all at the feet of the Transport Workers Union.

That would be called "passing the buck." So-called progressives seem to have forgotten that that isn't the entire art of politics.

>the TWU is the loudest voice for the National Guard in the subways

WOW! There's a buried lede.

So, actually, the Transit Workers' Union requested troops in the subways for the protection of their members, and you're saying Hochul should have taken that request as an opportunity to throw them under the bus and dog on them. Just...wow!

I'm not a particular fan of Hochul, but this piece is really convincing as to why your strain of witless, gutless, buck-passing improgressive so-called progressives should never be granted a shred of political power or listened to about anything.

Expand full comment

I know statistics show that crime on the subways isn't much worse than it has been, but...

There was a person going through the turnstyle next to me. He was wearing shorts, had a large knapsack and in one hand he pointed a gas utility lighter in my direction. When he got to the platform he dumped the pack on one end of a bench and sat on the other end. If you can keep your distance, fine, but he looked scary.

Ginia Bellafante writes in today's NYTimes that a comprehensive mental health outreach program might be more effective. I agree but doubt that the will and the funding would be adequate to what's needed

Expand full comment

Excellent analysis. You are able to straddle the NYC resident view, the numbers, the sentiment, the glorious NY Post headlines, and an old style leftist take on these issues. Good stuff RB.

Expand full comment

Excellent analysis again, Ross. My mother and brother who live in the Pennsylvania suburbs heard about this before I did and I live in Brooklyn. I'm on the trains regularly and have not seen these troops. BUT - these troops stayed in the headlines for days outside of the city. Crap like this scares away the Macy's shoppers and Broadway go-ers and museum bus trips that our city really needs to bring back. The governor played this very poorly - while meantime we have a mayor busy tweeting about international affairs, going to parties, and cutting library hours again. Our liberal city deserves better than these two!

Expand full comment

She just isn't very bright. Not, like, completely stupid, and certainly not Trump-level dumb. Just not bright. To be fair, she became governor by dumb luck, and then got lucky again in 2022 when Jumaane checked out of the gubernatorial primary for personal reasons.

Expand full comment