NY Gov. Kathy Hochul Halts $15 Congestion Pricing Plan
“Hochul is just now realizing that 75% of New Yorkers are vehemently against congestion pricing. . . . if it wasn’t an election year, she wouldn’t care who was opposed.”
Suddenly, Democrats from Joe “I am the Democratic Party” Biden to NY Gov. Kathy “Republicans don’t ‘belong’ in New York” Hochul are embracing Republican policies. It’s almost like there’s an election soon, and they know that Democrat policies are loathed by the American people.
First, Biden pretends to do something about the southern border, and now, Hochul is scrapping (until after the election, no doubt) a plan to charge drivers $15 to pass into parts of Manhattan.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to halt the nation’s first urban tolling plan was designed, in part, to help Democrats win tough House races this year.
Republicans have been hammering Democrats over the controversial plan to charge drivers $15 to enter parts of Manhattan — painting it as a cause célèbre of liberals out of touch with the working class.
Then public polls showed the initiative was profoundly loathed by voters in New York City’s metropolitan region, notably those in suburban swing seats that are pivotal for Democrats’ chances of regaining control of Congress. Private surveys with similar findings were shared with the governor’s team, a person familiar with the matter told POLITICO.
So on Wednesday Hochul nixed a plan she had billed as a bold step to fund mass transit while combating climate change — an abrupt reversal first reported by POLITICO that the governor attributed to economic concerns.
. . . . Hochul’s team insisted she was moved to act by the confluence of issues — rampant inflation, the program’s unpopularity among them.
But the decision also comes as the political season is getting underway. Early voting for the June 25 primaries begins June 15. Congestion pricing was due to take effect on June 30.
The charge is some kind of tax on drivers intended to keep them out of their cars and forcing them onto public transportation because climate.
If you’re angry at Kathy Hochul for sabotaging the future of the entire New York City region for nothing, here’s something you can do. https://t.co/iAsWlao4J3
— Rich Mintz (@richmintz) June 6, 2024
Why she wants to force people onto a transit system that is so crime-ridden she had to send out the National Guard is anyone’s guess.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has deployed the National Guard to patrol the NYC subway to combat crime. 750 guardsmen, 250 NY State and MTA cops will perform bag checks and additional tasks including dealing with the mentally ill. pic.twitter.com/arFHEsLKd1
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 6, 2024
The Washington Post bleats about the horror that is not charging people to drive their cars. Apparently, the government needs to “nudge” people out of their cars and into public transportation or the sky will fall.
There were several reasons offered in support of the congestion pricing plan that was supposed to go into effect in New York at the end of the month. One was to address congestion — hence the name — by making it more expensive to bring a vehicle into parts of Manhattan. Another was to use the money raised from the program to improve public transit. Both outcomes contribute to another outcome: reduced greenhouse gas emissions as people switch from cars to trains and buses.
Americans don’t like to be told what they can and cannot do, including driving their own cars, and Democrats know that. They typically don’t care, of course, but this is an election year, after all.
Needless to say, people have thoughts.
Kathy Hochul shouldn’t just delay her congestion tax to get past the next election. She should KILL IT! pic.twitter.com/cvdILAGI2M
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) June 5, 2024
Hochul is just now realizing that 75% of New Yorkers are vehemently against congestion pricing.
Thing is, if it wasn’t an election year, she wouldn’t care who was opposed. But because some congressional dems might be in trouble, she’s considering a delay to the program — until… https://t.co/nGLys88sBb
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) June 5, 2024
The full text:
Hochul is just now realizing that 75% of New Yorkers are vehemently against congestion pricing.
Thing is, if it wasn’t an election year, she wouldn’t care who was opposed. But because some congressional dems might be in trouble, she’s considering a delay to the program — until after the election.
Now I’m glad for the delay, but the politics of this are disgusting. The will of the people is clear — nobody wants this. But as usual, democrats will only pretend to care long enough to get them through an election, then it’s back to their usual authoritarianism.
If Hochul really wants to show some leadership here, she’ll pull the plug on this disaster permanently.
Not indefinitely postponed, postponed till November 6th 2024.
— leanhombre (@leanhombre) June 5, 2024
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
We should have elections ever 6 months. Turn the nation around in 2-3 years, tops!
So much to unpack here.
I agree, but elections every year. No money from outside the district. Only people who are able to vote for the candidate should be able to contribute.
Term limits. For both elected officials, but also staffers and government employees. Term should be never be more than six combined years.
All laws must apply to everyone. No carve outs for the “elites.” Those fuckers aren’t kings and barons.
I have posted the SAME thing for YEARS! WHY should peckerheads in CALIFORNIA be able to BUY a Congress Critter in NY?? Put the politicians back on the STREETS – knocking on doors, being IN their District/State Offices, and only accepting donations from people DIRECTLY VOTING for the OFFICE!
I am so glad that, as of two years ago, I am completely shut of New York*. I may have been born in Queens, but after thirty-seven years in San Antonio I consider myself a Texan.
* Took almost six months to get the bureaucracy to cough up a birth certificate.
In Crook County, IL, you can get your birth certificate in a matter of minutes.
In any name and name and age you want.
Subotai Bahadur
Tolling public roads seems like something they would blame on rich Republican capitalists who hate the poor in the old days
November, it will be in effect.
So they have the national guard and the TA cops checking bags of subway riders? Wonderful and then they can add those full body scanners to the turnstile. Bunch of sheep; always checked coming and going. Sounds fun.
As has been noted, the city could use an enema.
“Let me zee your paperz!”
Sounds like just the thing to attract tourists.
Subotai Bahadur
I wonder how often NY governor and NYC mayor are on the subway or bus.
Don’t you watch “Blue Bloods”? They get to use lights and sirens just for fun, and the cops block cross traffic at intersections. No congestion for them.
The sad part is the Democrat voters are so dumb that they’ll think this solves the issue and then they’ll be surprised when it gets sprung on them later.
In today’s NY POST:
“Outrage mounts as Hochul pushes last-minute NYC tax hike to replace congestion tolls: ‘Insulting joke’”
Pete should decry the plan as a racist attempt to only let certain people into the better parts of NYC
‘Congestion pricing’. As if fuel taxes and registered were not enough. Add in limited public parking. Big govt and their enablers will always seek more taxpayer funding and an ever expanding reach of power…. which requires more $ to fund….which requires even more power to secure the additional $ from reluctant taxpayers…. and round and round it goes always in one direction bigger more expensive gov’t.
Perhaps at some point Manhattan will have too many people and cars that it will tip over.
Hank Johnson was not available for comment.
Their commercial real estate market will likely tip over before then….but getting Rep Hank Johnson’s expert viewpoint on the tipping point of islands due to population is definitely worthwhile.
What about jumping on the whole “greenhouse gas” farce that the commie dems are using to install their petit tyrannies from coast to coast?? I don’t like when articles just gloss over the unscientific bullsh*t at the base of all this – the “greenhouse gas” farce and neglect to pound into the reader how ridiculous and fraudulent this whole scheme is – and those promoting it are carrying out the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on Planet Earth. Of course, the same commie d-bags are also carrying out the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th greatest frauds ever perpetrated on Planet Earth, too … because we have not had the integrity to imprison these lowlife, nihilist traitors.
“And what do you call your act?” the agent asked. “The Democrats,” said the father.
NYC should be placed in orbit of a black hole. They are a parasite.
Why aren’t leftists ever held accountable for their failed policies?
Because they control the news media and Big Tech outfits that are supposed to hold them accountable, but don’t,
Don’t worry, California has your back, as they are proposing a stiff mileage tax on all cars, including electrics, to pay for a shortfall in gasoline taxes. Note that the shortfall in gas taxes is far smaller than what they will be spending in health care for foreign invaders.
Note the word used is “postponed”, meaning it’s going to happen just not right now.
What percentage of voters in Manhattan and greater NYC vote Democrat? 75% perhaps, the same number who are opposed to this particular tax?
Suck on it, NYC; what you voted for you get. Enjoy your utopia!
For the most part, the Manhattanites will not be paying it. It will be commuters and delivery trucks. I venture a good deal of them are not Democrats.
Hmmmm. Delivery trucks paying more than just inflated fuel prices just to deliver their goods to Manhattan.
My take. Stop deliveries to New York, and drop the loads off outside of NY. Let the scroungers travel one by one to New Jersey to buy their stuff.
I do get the impression that the Governor Hochul believes the voters of New York are so dumb that in a day they will forget about congestion tax and will overwhelmingly vote democrat and when it is implemented after the election the voters will wonder what happened.
I try to give those who live in New York the benefit of the doubt but they keep proving time and time again that they do live on a plantation.