Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to cut the city work force by 3,000, but that’s just the beginning of the pain New Yorkers will feel as part of the fiscal crisis. A slew of new taxes are also on the agenda.
There will be 1,000 fewer cops, but the city will hire 200 more traffic agents to give out $60 million a year in new block-the-box tickets.
“The gravity of the budget situation requires us to propose both deep spending cuts and revenue increases,” Bloomberg said.
Ever notice how stories like this often come out a day or two after elections? Like information is being kept from us…
Adam 12 [#1]: Ever notice how politicians and corporations so often release bad or potentially embarrassing news on Friday afternoon—timing aimed at getting minimal public attention. The Reagan Administration pioneered this practice and others have followed.
“Like information is being kept from us”
Yes, politicians want to exercise control over when and how bad news becomes public. We can readily see how that would serve their reputational interests. But there can be a broader logic to it. If Bloomberg had made the announcement shortly before the election, investors might reason that New York City’s fiscal problems were more dire than they are because the mayor had to go public with them at such an awkward time.
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“The city will hire 200 more traffic agents to give out $60 million a year in new block-the-box [i.e., intersection] tickets”
Dey shoulda done dat long ago. So the budget squeeze could have a quality of life silver lining.