(Previously published in American Thinker.)
The other shoe has dropped in New York City. Officials knew it was coming, but they still fail to recognize the reason for it happening.
Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a 5% budget cut across all programs and services. Five percent may not seem like much, but the cuts show the budget moving in the wrong direction as far as politicians are concerned. Without money, they can’t buy votes with increasing services for residents. In a press release from the mayor’s office, the cuts are needed to “stabilize the city’s finances given the convergence of circumstances threatening New York City’s financial stability.”
This is simply because the city is receiving less money from taxes and state and federal funding at a time when the need for services is increasing because of the inflow of illegal immigrants seeking safety, since the city is a sanctuary city.
According to the press release, “the city faces substantial fiscal disruption if circumstances do not change.”
The city primarily blames the 110,000 illegal immigrants for the problem. “Today, with approximately 10,000 asylum seekers still arriving each month, the city estimates this mounting crisis will cost taxpayers $12 billion over three fiscal years — an amount that will continue to grow without federal and state intervention and support,” according to the mayor’s office.
The press release conveniently leaves out that the city essentially invited these immigrants by declaring itself a sanctuary city. No, in the mind, of New York City politicians, the problem is that the federal government isn’t paying for the city’s illegal residents.
Because New York foolishly declared itself a sanctuary city, thinking it was far enough away from the problem that it could safely virtue signal, all residents, including those in the city legally, are starting to pay the price.
However, the problem isn’t only illegals. It is the city’s progressive policies that have led to residents and businesses leaving. While this has reduced the city’s need for services slightly, it has reduced its tax revenues even more. This is because the residents most likely to leave are those who need fewer services.
The city hasn’t reached San Francisco or Portland level of decay, but it is a picture of what is to come if New York doesn’t change its policies.
It won’t, because it doesn’t understand the problem is primarily how the municipality operates.
“Desperate times calls for desperate measures, and these are desperate times,” said Chief Advisor Ingrid P. Lewis-Martin. “The federal government has all but abandoned New York City, and the state is not doing its fair share to assist New York City, which is managing a federal humanitarian crisis on a municipality’s budget. As a result, our administration has to make tough decisions.”
Although cutting the budget is a good sign, since progressives usually just raise taxes to make up shortfalls, the problem is that the budget cuts are a Band-Aid while the problem isn’t being treated.
The city has already tried pawning the illegal immigrants off on other municipalities. What the officials need to do is lobby the federal government to enforce its immigration laws. Meanwhile, it should also revoke its sanctuary city status.
Likewise, the city should also start enforcing its laws or passing laws that will make the city a safer place to live. If New York becomes a safe place to live, residents will live there, which will attract and retain businesses. This will increase tax revenues and ease the burden on all taxpayers.
Michael A. Letts is the CEO and Founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.
