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Living Wage = Communism In Bloomberg's World View
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
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City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's living wage bill has been watered down so much you could film a big-budget post-apocalyptic Kevin Costner movie in it and still have enough water left over to start hydrofracking in Sheep's Meadow. But it's not watered down enough for Mayor Bloomberg, who promises to file legal action to stop it if necessary. It's not because he hates the idea of plebes getting paid enough to live with dignity, it's because he knows his history, and he's seen what happens when the government subsidizes businesses and then makes them treat workers fairly.
"The last time we really had a big managed economy was the USSR and that didn't work out so well," Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show. "You cannot stop the tides from coming in." Verily, the rising tides of Communism will create a domino effect that could launch a totalitarian tsunami that might crush the American dream, which is being lived so vividly these days by those who can afford $30 million helicopters. And Bloomberg warns it's not just the living wage bill we have to fear, but another "God-awful" City Council Bill that would require employers to give workers a few paid sick days every year.
"It would be great if all jobs in the city paid a lot of money and had great benefits for the workers," Bloomberg intoned. "Not good for the employers. But if you force that you will just drive businesses out of the city. You just cannot force employers to pay a rate that isn't sustainable in their business."
By the way, that living wage bill that Bloomberg promises to fight in court? After all the changes that have been made to it, it would now affect just 400 to 500 low-wage workers a year who work at companies that directly receive city subsidies. Quinn, who plans to run for mayor next year, still insists it's “the most impactful living-wage law in the United States." But Steven Spinola, the president of the Real Estate Board of New York, which opposes the measure, tells the Times, "Its impact, I believe, will be minimal."
Tagged
christine quinn
communism
domino theory
living wage bill
mayor bloomberg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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