Does New York Have A Phase 5?
Did anyone see this monstrosity? It would be funny if it weren’t so insidiously permeated with unashamed hypocrisy and pure deceit.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “I love history, I love poster art.” He deployed a mountain analogy in a poster last week, in a sad attempt to describe New York’s fight against COVID-19 and New York’s efforts to flatten the curve of new infections. He declared that New York was “on the other side of the mountain” during one of his then-daily coronavirus press conferences in early May.
At a recent press conference where Cuomo unveiled this horrendous poster that’s for sale, he stated, “What we did was historic because we did tame the beast. We did turn the corner. We did plateau that mountain. And then we came down the other side.”
How in the world is this “art” not wildly offensive? This is simply a monument to death and tragedy being sold by the state. This guy is one of the worst governors in the United States. It’s time to end his grip on power in New York. He has done enough damage. If he has time to use crayons to make 5th-grade art projects, it’s time to get out of the way. Maybe he and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio can be artists instead of people who are in charge of governing. They both have been miserable failures.
Jake Tapper, clearly not the poster boy for conservatism, lays out some truths about Mr. Cuomo and his handling of the pandemic below:
It still amazes me why this man isn’t the most loathed officials in America right now. ProPublica recently released a report outlining catastrophic missteps by Cuomo and the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio. Their mistakes resulted in many thousands of needless coronavirus cases and deaths.
For some strange reason, people think that if we would just “wear a damn mask,” we’ll be able to go back to normal. They’ve clearly forgotten the fact that New Yorkers have been wearing masks since April 17th. Why, after all this time, does New York State still lead the country in cases and deaths? Why would anyone think that wearing a mask will magically open up businesses? The only person with the authority to do that is Andrew Cuomo. He has almost unlimited authority as governor right now.
The New York State Legislature passed an emergency law in early March of 2020, awarding Cuomo a grand expansion of authority to suspend any “statute, local law, ordinance, order, rule or regulation or part thereof” related to preserving public health and “necessary to aid the disaster effort.” It ends in April of 2021.
Now that the spread of the virus is easing in New York, reform groups including Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, and Reinvent Albany have written to the legislative leaders, asking them to take back the powers that they gave to the governor in March.
Back in March the governor and the legislative leaders agreed to new powers for the governor. He is able to enact laws unilaterally. As the epidemic has eased, especially now that we are in the last “phase,” the state legislature should get back to work. They should hold committee meetings and pass bills.
In a normal year, the legislature acts on 800 to 900 bills. So far this year, a little over150 have passed. Shouldn’t the state legislature reassert its authority and begin to reign in some of the governors’ powers at this point? I feel it’s time for a return to the American form of democracy in New York State-a system of checks and balances.
In a typical Cuomo style, he has condemned the idea, saying that the idea is “stupid.” With coronavirus cases spiking over the past few weeks in a few states, Cuomo said, “There is no thinking American who does not believe that this is a state of emergency.”
Can someone tell me what is the state of emergency in New York State at this point?
The truth is, if his state of emergency were to be rescinded tomorrow, the executive orders Cuomo has written would no longer be in effect. No one would have to wear masks or socially distance. Movie theaters and Broadway, closed for safety reasons, would be able to reopen. “Everything that we have done that has worked goes away immediately because they were all done by executive order,” Cuomo said. The governor says the legislature still retains the authority to pass a law to override any executive order that he issues.
On June 20, 2020, New York City entered Phase 4. With this new phase, professional sports can resume, but without fans. Indoor dining is still not permitted. Officials last week banned the sale of alcohol to customers who do not also buy food, in an attempt to crack down on crowds of outdoor drinkers. We still are waiting on the reopening of gyms, malls, movie theaters and museums. Do we wait for a Phase 5?
Cuomo could not give a date for when he thinks it’s appropriate that the emergency powers end, saying “when COVID ends, the emergency ends.”
When will that be Mr. Cuomo?
Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business and is a 25 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene. He has played drums in a number of hit broadway and off-broadway musicals including “Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill. In addition, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.
Originally published at https://claytoncraddock.substack.com.
