Latest news with #TheUnitedWay
New York Post
a day ago
- Business
- New York Post
Michael Goodwin: Dems agree NYC is too expensive — and voters can't afford them being in charge
If there is a single point of agreement among all the Democrats running for mayor, it's that New York is too damn expensive. They uniformly call it an 'affordability crisis' and pledge to do something about it if elected. They are largely correct — the cost of living in New York has become absurdly high. Advertisement Although part of the trend grew out of the inflation sparked by massive spending by federal, state and local governments during the COVID era, there is also a long history of Gotham being one of most expensive places in the nation to live. A study shows that, in comparison to the national average, food prices in the five boroughs are about 22% higher, while housing is 278% more expensive. Making ends meet The United Way finds that basic costs for city households have risen twice as fast as the median income and estimates that about half of them need help from the government, friends or family just to make ends meet. Advertisement As Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani recently told The New York Times, 'There are far too many New Yorkers who do not know if they will be able to call themselves that next year, who do not know if they will be able to afford their rent, or their child care, their groceries, or even their MetroCard.' True to his socialist affiliations, Mamdani is promising the longest list of freebies, but his rivals have all joined the spree. Even Andrew Cuomo, often regarded as the most centrist of the bunch and the leader according to polls, is no shrinking violet in the giveaway games. The candidates' promises to address the problem sound very nice — until you realize that nearly everything they are offering would ultimately drive the sky-high cost of living even higher. Advertisement Already that burden is one of the top reasons why New York City and state lead America in losing residents to lower-cost jurisdictions. Congestion pricing is the latest example of how and why the cost of living here keeps rising. If the candidates all want to raise prices even higher, they should support a joint slogan: 'Dear Voters, If you're not broke yet, just wait.' The problem is that government compassion doesn't come cheap. Advertisement In fact, it's outrageously expensive. That's certainly true in the case at hand. The candidates' 'solutions' are just promises to give away more stuff to more people, such as free bus service, free child care, free this and free that. It's all wrapped in the language of compassion for the poor and working class. But what the lefty Dems leave out of the conversation is an honest explanation about where the money would come from to pay for all their added goodies, and what the impact would be of an expanded redistribution scheme to deliver them. Don't be fooled by the lack of details. That's intentional because the numbers would be frightening. Take away to give away But hiding the truth doesn't change the fact that because City Hall can't print money, it will first have to take more from residents and businesses if it is going to give away more. Advertisement Consider the obvious impact on businesses. If they are taxed more, most will make up for it by raising prices on their customers, cut the pay of their workers or reduce the number of workers. When a business goes broke, the city gets no taxes and the workers have no income. Because higher taxes always impose a trickle-down cost on some people, a similar outcome is true if the government raises income taxes on individuals, sales taxes or property taxes. Advertisement Somebody somewhere along the line is going to feel the pinch of every added dollar the city takes to give away to someone it declares more deserving. For those forced to pay more, the 'solution' to the problem means their cost of living is going to get even higher. That's why the candidates' plans need to be seen in light of the current budget. As it stands, City Hall will raise and spend a whopping $112.4 billion this year — nearly as much as the entire state of Florida. Advertisement New York state, meanwhile, will raise and spend $255 billion, with much of that money coming to the city. Additional agencies, such as the MTA, have their own budgets, which spend tens of billions more. Clearly the problem isn't a shortage of money to spend. Advertisement The problem is a shortage of responsible spending. Thus raising spending for 'new needs,' as the politicians call their freebies, by hiking taxes and fees at this point is almost certain to create as many problems as it solves. There is still time for the Dems to lay out a plan to actually reduce government costs. The first debate was little more than a bidding game to see who could promise more new giveaways and most vehemently denounce Donald Trump while pledging to 'resist' his presidency. The second and final mayoral debate, required by the NYC Campaign Finance Board, will take place Thursday, with primary day falling on June 24. It's incumbent on the moderators to demand that Mamdani and all the others explain, with specifics, where they would get added funds and who would pay them. Glib lines like taxing the 'top 1%' mean nothing because those families already pay inordinate amounts of the city's personal income tax. According to a city comptroller report, in 2021 the top 1% — about 6,000 families who reported incomes of $1 million or more — paid a whopping 48% of the city's total income tax haul. It's neither fair nor sensible to demand they pay more, when packing up and leaving altogether is proving to be so popular. Leftward lurch Unfortunately, we haven't heard much of a different message from other candidates in the race, including Mayor Adams, who is running as an independent. With GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa widely considered not viable, there is so far no check and balance on the Dems' leftward lurch. The vast majority of their spendthrift City Council candidates and those seeking other offices on the ballot are proving to be automatic supporters of larger and more expensive programs. National conversations about cutting taxes and reducing government waste, fraud and abuse have yet to find meaningful support in New York. That must start to change this week. Libs' stupidity taking a toll There they go again: Another major media outlet is confusing victimhood with the consequences of wrongdoing. The bleeding heart Boston Globe writes, 'Unpaid fees jeopardize thousands of Mass. driver's licenses,' saying, 'Thousands of Massachusetts drivers each year face the possibility of losing their legal authority to drive unless debts unrelated to road safety are paid in full.' Among the debts it cites are tolls the drivers evaded. Here's a crazy idea: The drivers could pay the tolls and keep their licenses. Why is that so hard?
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie's daughter Shiloh drops major hint she's following her mother's footsteps with statement hoodie
Shiloh Jolie looked tired as she left dance rehearsals in Los Angeles but her activities and her wardrobe dropped a major hint about her career aspirations. The young performer, 18, who recently sported a new tattoo on her wrist, seems to following her mother, Angelina Jolie, 49, into the arts and into humanitarian work as well. Shiloh is also the daughter of Brad Pitt, 61, from whom she is estranged. The teen, born Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, has dropped Pitt from her last name. As she exited her rehearsal at the Millennium dance studio in the Studio City area, the dancer was attired in black sneakers, loose fitting cargo pants and a black hoodie covering her blonde hair. The sweatshirt appeared to be from the non-profit organization The United Way which helps the homeless and less fortunate, an indication she wants to continue her mother's example of helping others. Shiloh Jolie looked tired as she left dance rehearsals in Los Angeles but her activities and her wardrobe dropped a major hint about her career aspirations Angelina Jolie is a former United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and Special Envoy, who focused on refugees before stepping down from the organization in 2022. The teen, who was named for the Shiloh Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia, and was born in the African nation, has accompanied her mom on several humanitarian missions over the years, including trips to Turkey, Lebanon and Cambodia. During the recent deadly fires that ravaged parts of the Los Angeles area throughout the month of January, Shiloh and her siblings, Maddox, 23, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 16, were doing their part to help victims. 'Her kids are volunteering around the state, asking for what's needed and jumping in,' a source told People at the time. 'She knows what's important is to bring supplies and donate and fall in line. She isn't posting or announcing efforts. Just trying to listen and learn.' The source also said the Maria star opened up her home to friends who had been forced to evacuate theirs. Shiloh is not the only child of Jolie's who is trying their hand at showbusiness. Vivienne, 16, was an early enthusiast for the musical The Outsiders, based on the novel by the same name written by S.E. Hinton, and convinced the multi-hyphenate to sign on as a producer, while she worked as an assistant on the Tony winning production. Older brothers Maddox and Pax have made their forays into show business as well. Maddox was a producer on the Jolie directed drama First They Killed My Father and he and Pax were assistant directors with her on the war drama Without Blood. Star Salma Hayek praised their work ethic when the film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. 'They work hard. They are very serious about what they do,' she told People at the time.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
National 211 Day: Connecticut residents encouraged to dial 211 for 24/7 support services
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Feb. 11 is National 211 Day – an annual observance celebrating the go-to, 24/7 three-digit resource that helps millions of people in the U.S. An event at the capitol complex in Hartford Tuesday morning aimed to educate the public about 211, and to call attention to how many more people need help these days. 'My whole life changed when I met 211,' Samantha Rosado said. She called 211 after her parents suddenly died. 'They helped me with legal advice for the situation I was going through and then they helped me with housing, they gave me a case manager,' Rosado said. French bulldog 'Poppy' reported in stolen SUV reunited with family The United Way coordinates 211, and on this date of 2/11, they try to educate the public about it. For one thing, it's never been busier. 'People that weren't calling before, 3-4 years ago, are calling now because they were not able to make ends meet,' said Yocasta Duran, a senior call specialist who answers some of those calls. Most calls are about mental health, housing, and food insecurity. Duran puts callers in touch with the proper help, like Connecticut Foodshare. 'There is poverty, and there is food insecurity in every town in Connecticut,' Foodshare's President & CEO Jason Jakubowski said. 'There's at least one family in each of the 169 towns.' The United Way says the need for help has grown 300% in the last five years. 'And I anticipate that it will continue to grow when we are looking at the price of eggs now being between $6-10,' said Shawonda Swain, the president & CEO of the Middlesex United Way. 'Everything is going up. People are really struggling.' Those call specialists are not just listening to that one issue and then getting help for that one problem. They have a whole list of things about which they then ask callers. So, they call for one thing, they get help for several others. 'I go and I speak to them, I try to trouble shoot with them so we can see the bigger need. Did you eat? Did you eat today?' Duran said. For Rosado, that help was life-changing, as in keeping her from living on the streets. 'Food pantries, then it went to shelters, then it went to clothing. Every aspect of my life they've actually been helping me in,' Rosado said. People can get that help by dialing 2-1-1 or going to Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
