"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal."...Albert Camus
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Those who read my work on a regular basis know I was raised in NYC {Manhattan + The Bronx}. I know the city and the people as well as I know my legal carry handgun. I also know exactly what Ted Cruz was referring to when he talked about "New York Values." In fact, most New Yorkers know what he meant with the exception of those Camus referenced above.
And while Cruz was a tad awkward in his observation, allow me to clarify his statement. He was citing the following:
- Last September, NY City Council honored---via proclamation--- Ethel Rosenberg. For those too young to know, she and her husband were executed for espionage in 1953, Both were Communists and were found GUILTY of espionage. They passed information about the atomic bomb to the Soviets.
- NY City Council declared NYC a "sanctuary city."
- NY City Council wants illegal immigrants to be able to vote. It's estimated there are about 500,000 illegals living in the city today.
- As I've written about on several occasions, Mayor DeBlasio is plunging NYC into progressive hell. A Quinnipiac University poll late last year found a majority of New Yorkers reported life was getting worse under his administration. How bad?...
- Most in NYC do not believe schools are safe. In fact, a recent report found 92% of students attend a school were there were violent incidents in the past year. These violent incidents extend down through the elementary school level.
- Knife crimes---slashings and stabbings---have increased by 20% over the same period as last year according to the NYPD.
- Homelessness has increased as well as the number of weapons found in homeless shelters.
- Anti-Semitism in the city's universities has exploded in just the last 2 years. Jewish students are the targets of slurs and violence. NY Post
- 60% of New Yorkers polled reported seeing more poverty and more homeless people in the city's parks, streets and subways.
- The De Blasio administration is now involved in a major corruption scandal.
In short, Ted Cruz was right. He was referring to the toxic outcomes when progressives run a city. We've seen this similar pattern in other major American cities run by progressives.
Sidebar: When DeBlasio was running for mayor, he bashed police officers. In one instance, he stated he feared for his son's safety because of misconduct by the NYPD. His remarks were so absurd that members of the NYPD turned their backs to him during a press conference. Now some facts from the Washington Post no less, a progressive leaning newspapers.
- White police officers shooting unarmed black men accounted for 4% of all fatal police shootings.
- In more than 75% of those cases, the police were under attack and defending themselves or civilians.
- Nearly 30% of the shootings started as a result of a car chase that began with a minor traffic stop.
- The majority of those killed by police were brandishing weapons.
Yet, progressives like De Blasio and the media keep perpetuating the false "cop killer" narrative.
Postscript: Since this was posted, a Marist Poll reported just 35% of voters described De Blasio's performance as either excellent or good. And 51% reported NYC is headed in the WRONG direction.
