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Jack Martins: ‘An unhealthy state of things’

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Winston Churchill wrote, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

An “unhealthy state of things” is where I draw your attention as we examine Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent State of the State address, the annual report required by our state’s Constitution.
Regrettably, Hochul missed the mark completely. Instead of informing us on the current situation, she treated us to her wish list. And, while listing goals is acceptable, they must be grounded in reality. It’s easy to claim you’re buying a mansion, but you can’t if you’re broke.  

To that end, here are few painful realities that were missing from her speech:

Migrants: More than 210,000 have arrived in New York City alone since 2022, and the state has spent more than $4 billion in taxpayer dollars on their care, to the detriment of other programs. Mayor Eric Adams has declared the situation unsustainable. Worse still, the 19,000 migrant encounters along the U.S.-Canada border that have overwhelmed upstate towns have been ignored.

Yet we remain a “sanctuary” state.

Antisemitism: Hate crimes are skyrocketing, particularly against Jews.  In fact, 88 percent of New York’s religion-based hate crimes in 2023 targeted Jews. This was largely driven by unchecked and inflammatory protests on New York’s college campuses.

Infrastructure: The state’s roads and bridges are clearly deteriorating. According to the Department of Transportation, 60 percent of our bridges are rated fair or poor, while their repair budgets have dropped 20 percent. And a whopping 17,000 of New York’s road miles are rated fair or poor, while their repair budgets have fallen 30 percent. These shoddy conditions cost motorists $36 billion a year in damage and repair costs. How is this safe or fair?

Affordability: New York is again dead last out of all 50 states. That’s because we spend about 79 percent of our income on just the basics. Our state and local property taxes have us ranked 48th and 41st, respectively. Health care costs continue to rise, and we pay some of the highest home and auto insurance premiums in the country. Hochul’s response is to offer a one-time “inflation rebate” of $300. And she actually claims she’ll make New York more affordable by increasing state spending by over $12 billion. Only in New York.  

Crime: The governor has historically manipulated crime data to mask failures. For example, she’ll cherry-pick favorable statistics from just 28 police departments while ignoring the other 472 in the state. Or she’ll cite a felony crime reduction of 2 percent in 2024, but fail to mention that it’s still 33 percent higher than it was in 2019, before she took office. But mathematical sleights of hand aside, do we really need more proof? Hop on a subway or just read the papers. And her response? Brighter bulbs on subway platforms, and a disjointed promise of more cops from the already overburdened NYPD.

It’s time for common sense. The migrant crisis can be addressed by declaring an end to our “sanctuary” status. We can empower district attorneys and police departments by reversing the failed cashless bail experiment. And affordability is achieved by improving the business climate with fewer taxes and regulations, thereby making it less costly to provide goods and services. How about removing taxes on tips and overtime pay as a start?

But instead of solutions, Hochul put on a show. Her speech was preceded by an hour-long program that included a gospel choir, a marching band, a dance troupe, a Tony Award-winning Broadway singer, a poet, a Boy Scout, an honor guard, and three invocations by a rabbi, a minister and a Muslim imam, all on jumbo video screens. She quite literally implemented the ancient Roman political maxim of “bread and circus,” the use of entertainment and distraction to direct attention away from failures.

The truth is that New York is in very rough shape, and it cannot be effectively governed through virtue signaling. Just look at the results in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California. Rather, a leader must humbly engage both sides, do a lot of deep work, and design policies that sincerely address the circumstances of the majority, fairly and without bias. It’s slow, tedious and unglamorous.

The governor offered us political lip service, much like her well-timed congestion pricing “freeze,” which instantly thawed after November’s election. New Yorkers need the truth. New Yorkers can handle the truth.

Jack M. Martins represents the 7th State Senate District.