LIZ PEEK: Here is the one and only thing that Democrats actually care about
Are Democrats heartless or just plain stupid? Are they so committed to scoring political points that they are willing to hurt ordinary people?
Consider the top leaders in the Empire State. The most recent example? On the cusp of an historic storm and record-breaking cold, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ended his predecessor’s policy of clearing out homeless encampments.
Is it just a coincidence that three people were found dead on the streets of the city on the morning of Saturday, January 24, when the temperature plunged to single digits? Two men and one woman believed to be homeless were discovered dead outside; though the details of their deaths are not yet available, it is likely that no one could survive sleeping on the pavement in near-zero weather.
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Mamdani has said he wants to find permanent housing for people living in temporary settlements, not remove those camps and force them to enter shelters. The mayor will let individuals live on the streets, apparently not wanting to infringe upon their rights. He does not seem as concerned about the rights of New Yorkers who are already complaining about the growing number of homeless in their neighborhoods, offended by refuse piling up on their sidewalks or the unruly behavior of those living in such circumstances. Several communities are up in arms, and who can blame them? According to the government, some 22% of the homeless are seriously mentally ill, while 18% have a substance abuse problem. (There is probably some overlap in those conditions.) Such people do not make for responsible or welcome neighbors.
New York housing options are limited and adding new units to house indigent people, given New York’s endless permitting and approval delays, will take years if not decades. Meanwhile, Mamdani can pretend to care for the downtrodden while the homeless and the communities where they reside are at risk.
Mamdani isn’t alone in embracing harmful policies. Consider New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s unforgivable decision to ban anonymous reports of child abuse, a stance she thinks will endear her to minority voters. Just before the end of the year, Hochul signed a bill Friday night to outlaw, as of next summer, child abuse hotlines accepting anonymous reports of neglect or mistreatment.
The rationale for this law is that vengeful ex-spouses or other miscreants might lodge anonymous complaints of child abuse out of spite, dragging innocent parents into a nightmarish confrontation with city workers. But the real push for the legislation, one of only two such laws in the nation, came from people saying that such reports disproportionately target black or Hispanic families.
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It is true that anonymous reports of child mistreatment are unsubstantiated by subsequent investigations more frequently than those made by people willing to go on the record. In 2023, according to data from Child Protective Services, just 7% of investigations stemming from anonymous calls in New York City were substantiated, compared to 22.5% of all reports. But imagine if those 7% were never reported, and CPS never intervened; lives might have been lost. Surely this is a situation where excessive caution is the right way to go.
It is true that some 88% of children caught up in New York City investigations prompted by anonymous calls are black or Latino. But that almost certainly reflects the higher number of kids being raised in difficult circumstances, not some broad attack on minority parents.
People living next to a suspected gang member would understandably be fearful of reporting abuse; an anonymous call is a much preferred approach.
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Such policies have real-life consequences. The gruesome discovery of a woman nearly starving to death her two 14-year-old sons, whom she reportedly wanted "to stay babies forever" and to whom she gave only baby cereal and formula, might never have happened were it not for the several anonymous calls received by the Administration for Children’s Services. Prompted by those tips, an official visited the home and found the emaciated boys, one of whom weighed only 51 pounds.
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They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Some will say that Mamdani’s refusal to force homeless New Yorkers in from the cold comes from a good heart, and that Kathy Hochul believes she’s doing the right thing for children. Frankly, I’m skeptical.
Democrats bow to climate zealots, to Black Lives Matter activists and to champions of illegal immigration because they want votes from those populations. The results are New York electricity prices 50% above the national average, legislation like Raise the Age laws that promote crime, and harsher, more partisan, attitudes towards immigration.
These outcomes are not only in New York, but can also be seen across the U.S. where Democrats are in charge. Almost inevitably, their policies end up hurting the very people they pretend to care about.
Democrats are, above all, performance artists. If they really care about Palestinians dying in Gaza, why aren’t they equally concerned about Iranians being slaughtered by the murderous mullahs? If they are committed to the safety of illegal immigrants, why didn’t they protest the hundreds that drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande while Joe Biden was president? If they want black Americans to get ahead, how can they tolerate the dismal failure of our public schools?
Democrats only care about one thing: power.