New York Secedes from Common Sense

No shots have been fired, no alternative flag has been raised, and no federal troops have been imprisoned. But ideologically, New York’s political class has seceded from the Union, from common sense, and from common decency.

Appropriately, much attention has been paid to the stunning decision of the New York State Legislature (now wholly dominated by Democrats) to provide $27 million in tuition aid for illegal aliens, while refusing to fund tuition to the families of U.S. soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who were killed in action.

Further tilting towards illegals, it is expected that Albany will soon pass legislation that will grant driver licenses to them in the near future.

The problems, however, extend beyond favoring illegals over citizens. Siding with criminals over victims is a hallmark of the Left, and Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing a bill that would take that concept to new heights, by eliminating bail in most cases. The concept is camouflaged as a way to prevent low-level offenders from lingering in jail before trial, but in practice, it has far broader implications. Consider this example from the New York Law Journal:

“The defendant is arrested for rape and larceny. The rape occurred in a park, and the defendant and the victim had no prior relationship. The defendant is caught a block away and identified by the victim and is in possession of her wallet. He has a prior conviction for rape for which he served six years. He was released from prison six months ago. He has no prior bench warrants. Twenty-eight years old, he lives in an apartment with a friend. The defendant is charged with a class B violent felony and therefore would be eligible for a detention hearing. The People, however, would have to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that he poses a current threat to the physical safety of a reasonably identifiable person or persons. That would be a difficult showing, since the defendant seems to select his victims randomly. Electronic monitoring cannot be imposed because it is available only to contain risk of flight, of which there is little evidence. Now assume that the defendant is released on non-monetary conditions and is rearrested for another rape two months later. The facts are much the same. Could he now be detained? Can it be said that he poses a danger to a reasonable identifiable person or group of persons? If he threatened serious physical injury in both cases (the one on which he was released and the new case), the burden of proof would shift to him. Even then, he would be released if he showed, by a preponderance of the evidence, that he did not pose a current threat to a reasonably identifiable person or group of persons.”

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While America has recently become virtually energy independent, New York is facing a government-imposed energy crisis. Governor Cuomo’s energy policy of refusing to allow new pipelines for natural gas has resulted in utilities informing residents in at least one county that they may not be able to access the affordable, nonpolluting energy source going forward.

The Second Amendment, already on shaky ground in parts of the state, is about to get even further nullified. State Senator Kevin Parker wants to allow authorities to demand that those seeking gun permits hand over login passwords to their social media accounts.

The state’s largest city, New York, is led by a mayor whose loyalty to the U.S. is marginal. In the 1980’s, while the Soviet Union was placing offensive weaponry in Nicaragua, Bill de Blasio was a cheerleader for the U.S.S.R.’s role in that nation.

He is a major proponent of the “Sanctuary City,” concept an idea that, in practice, means that cops will not be allowed to cooperate with federal authorities in dealing with criminals who are illegal aliens.

But that doesn’t mean NYC’s government isn’t mindful of illegals. The City Council has repeatedly attempted to pass legislation granting them the right to vote.

Photo: Pixabay

Quick Analysis

Federal Reserve Report on the Economy

The Beige Book is a Federal Reserve System publication about current economic conditions across the 12 Federal Reserve Districts. It characterizes regional economic conditions and prospects based on a variety of mostly qualitative information, gathered directly from each District’s sources. The latest edition has just been released. We present key portions of the summary here. Overall Economic Activity Overall economic activity expanded slightly, on balance, since late February. Ten out of twelve Districts experienced either slight or modest economic growth—up from eight in the previous report, while the other two reported no changes in activity. Consumer spending barely increased overall, but reports were quite mixed across Districts and spending categories. Several reports mentioned weakness in discretionary spending, as consumers’ price sensitivity remained elevated. Auto spending was buoyed notably in some Districts by improved inventories and dealer incentives, but sales remained sluggish in other Districts. Tourism activity increased modestly, on average, but reports varied widely. Manufacturing activity declined slightly, as only three Districts reported growth in that sector. Contacts reported slight increases in nonfinancial services activity, on average, and bank lending was roughly flat overall. Residential construction increased a little, on average, and home sales strengthened in most Districts. In contrast, nonresidential construction was flat, and commercial real estate leasing fell slightly. The economic outlook among contacts was cautiously optimistic, on balance. Labor Markets Employment rose at a slight pace overall, with nine Districts reporting very slow to modest increases, and the remaining three Districts reporting no changes in employment. Most Districts noted increases in labor supply and in the quality of job applicants. Several Districts reported improved retention of employees, and others pointed to staff reductions at some firms. Despite the improvements in labor supply, many Districts described persistent shortages of qualified applicants for certain positions, including machinists, trades workers, and hospitality workers. Wages grew at a moderate pace in eight Districts, with the remaining four noting only slight to modest wage increases. Multiple Districts said that annual wage growth rates had recently returned to their historical averages. On balance, contacts expected that labor demand and supply would remain relatively stable, with modest further job gains and continued moderation of wage growth back to pre-pandemic levels. Prices Price increases were modest, on average, running at about the same pace as in the last report. Disruptions in the Red Sea and the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge caused some shipping delays but so far did not lead to widespread price increases. Movements in raw materials prices were mixed, but six Districts noted moderate increases in energy prices. Contacts in several Districts reported sharp increases in insurance rates, for both businesses and homeowners. Another frequent comment was that firms’ ability to pass cost increases on to consumers had weakened considerably in recent months, resulting in smaller profit margins. Inflation also caused strain at nonprofit entities, resulting in service reductions in some cases. On balance, contacts expected that inflation would hold steady at a slow pace moving forward. At the same time, contacts in a few Districts—mostly manufacturers—perceived upside risks to near-term inflation in both input prices and output prices. Highlights by Federal Reserve District Boston Business activity expanded at a modest pace in recent weeks, and prices rose slightly. Employment was flat overall, but one retailer reported significant layoffs. Convention and tourism activity grew at a robust pace. Home sales increased on a year-over-year basis, marking a turnaround. The outlook ranged from cautiously optimistic to bullish. New York On balance, regional economic activity remained flat. Labor market conditions were solid and continued to normalize as labor supply and labor demand came into better balance. Consumer spending was unchanged after a weak first quarter. Housing markets strengthened, with the spring selling season picking up beyond the seasonal norm. The pace of selling price increases remained modest. Philadelphia On balance, business activity was flat in the current Beige Book period—after declining slightly last period. Employment edged up, despite staffing and recruitment efforts slowing to a crawl. Wage and price inflation continue to moderate; however, housing affordability continues to be a concern. Overall, the outlook is positive, as firms remained optimistic about expectations for future growth. Cleveland District business activity increased modestly, as did employment. Firms anticipated greater ease filling open positions, including those that have been particularly challenging, because of increased labor availability. Wage pressures continued to normalize, and some contacts reduced starting wages for new roles. Cost and price pressures changed little. Richmond The regional economy grew at slight pace since our previous report. Consumer spending on retail goods was mixed but spending on travel and tourism was up slightly. Fifth District port activity slowed and was impacted by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Employment growth slowed from a moderate to a modest rate in recent weeks, but wages continued to grow moderately. Price growth also remained moderate. Atlanta The Sixth District economy grew modestly. Labor markets continued to stabilize; wage pressures eased. Many nonlabor costs moderated. Retail sales were steady, but consumers remained price conscious. Tourism remained robust. Commercial real estate conditions slowed. Transportation activity was mixed. Manufacturing grew slightly. Loan demand was flat. Energy activity improved. Chicago Economic activity increased slightly. Employment increased modestly; business and consumer spending rose slightly; nonbusiness contacts saw no change in activity; and manufacturing and construction and real estate activity were flat. Prices and wages rose moderately, while financial conditions were stable. Prospects for 2024 farm income were unchanged. St. Louis Economic activity has continued to increase slightly since our previous report. Prices have increased modestly, as contacts are broadly feeling the pressures of increases in both labor and non-labor costs. The outlook was neutral to slightly optimistic, which is generally unchanged from our previous report, but better than one year ago. Minneapolis District economic activity grew slightly. Employment grew some, but labor demand was softer. Wage pressures were present but continued to ease, while price pressures ticked up. Consumer spending was mostly flat, and manufacturing slowed modestly. Commercial and residential construction improved […]